


Crystal Story 2 ~The War of the Shattered Sky~

by Reshirana



Category: Crystal Story 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Deviates From Canon, Fantasy, Gen, RPG, mostly canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-20
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-13 22:29:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 35,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3398561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reshirana/pseuds/Reshirana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Most reviews just said that this game "made up in its lack of story with addictive gameplay".<br/>The game has the word "Story" in the title.<br/>My answer? Let's do this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the part of the story untold, a tale happening before the opening cutscenes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a story of Crystal Story 2 retold, with a bit of info deviating from canon but still mainly canon. The story will be kept pre-version 2.0, since I can only play on Kongregate. The reason why I’m doing this is because most reviews I read of this game said something to the effect of “lack of story covered with replay value”, so I thought why not make a fully fledged story of it since it has the word “Story” in its title. I am not very good at writing stories (English is my second language and I am still in school), but I will do my best. Each chapter will be around certain areas in-game, to avoid confusion whenever possible. Nuff said, let’s do this!

It has been two years since Hiro defeated the evil witch Rita to foil her plans of conquering the world. The world in question was at peace, unknowing of the perils headed their way.

**The Realm of Dragons**

“The portal of the Dargons awake,” the Elder Dragon said into the circle of reptilian beings, all different in color, shape and size, yet all of them watching the Elder Dragon with intense eyes. “As we are the ones that protect the world of their tyranny, we must stop this occurrence at once.”

“Elder,” one green serpent asked in a hiss. “Who will go? We all know that ones who traverse to other dimensions never return, leading to less and less Dragons alive. We lack courageous individuals for this task.”

“And this time, the portal awakens in the realm of humans, no?” A gold-scaled wyrm spoke out. “Humans are beings filled with greed and hatred! They are foolish, enough to kill our kin, unknowing that we are the ones who save them. The Dragon sent there will die by human hands before they reach the Dargons!” A clamor of agreement, laced with disdain, filled the air around them. The Elder Dragon sighed in displeasure when, out of nowhere, a young, powerful voice cut through the din.

“But it is our task to protect all the dimensions!” The voice came from a small, crimson-scaled whelp, nestled beside the Elder Dragon’s feet. His small, leatherly wings flapped as he fumed, the excitement making him spew out embers despise himself. “And not all humans are evil as you say! I studied them myself, it should be true!”

“Hey, it’s the Human-Lover!” A jeering voice came from the same height as the red pup, followed by many other childish teasings that resonated around the ring of Dragons. “No wonder he sides with the humans!” “I heard him practice human speech once!” “Such foul pups are not needed in our clan in these dire times!”

The Elder Dragon stomped on the ground to silence the Dragons, then turned to his adopted grandchild, eyes prideful yet worried at the same time. “This means you must go into the human dimension to protect them. Are you sure you wish to take on the task?”

“I will be all right, Elder.” The child said with a polite bow. “I want to be of help to humans, no matter what the cost may be.” With that sentence, the pup changed his appearance, arcane energy swirling around him like a tornado. When the magical storm subsided, there stood a human boy, seventeen years old in appearance, robelike hoodie and loose pants held together by a sash, crimson scaled tail and cheeks standing out in comparison to his pale skin and ruffled ebony hair. His clear, crystal eyes reflected onto a thin sword he now held in his right hand. Murmurs of horror and disbelief rippled through the ring, and the Dragons closest to the now human whelp slowly backed away, save for the Elder Dragon, trying to keep him away as though he was a curse.

“I… accept your request,” The Elder Dragon nodded, appreciating the whelp’s magical capabilities and confronting the sadness that swept over him as he realized that the transformation was a permanent spell, signaling that his beloved grandchild will never return to his side. “Are you prepared to take on the journey to the human realm, Draconias Rexaal Pyros Initia?”

The Dragon nodded and jumped through the portal, looking down into a forest located in the humans’ dimension.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my original take on what D’s world was like, since there’s no indication to anything of the sort. The transformation part is how I imagined D took on a human form, since Z. Also, D’s full name is non-canon, but Draconias is his true name, Rexaal his race, Pyros his element, and Initia his rank. Funny his original name in-game is D.


	2. Small Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dragon gets into trouble as soon as he gets into the human world.

**Small Forest, Northeast of Smalltown**

Atop a hill, a girl was looking absentmindedly at the sky, with nothing in particular in her mind when she noticed something strange in the sky. It seemed like a giant fireball, perhaps a meteor, cutting through the wispy clouds. It reached the horizon with a booming thud, so loud that even she was able to hear it. The girl leapt to her feet, got her stuff sprawled around her, and started sprinting to the crash site at superhuman agility.

 

“Urgh… That landing was rough.” The robed teenager woke in the midst of a crater, rubbing his back. He did not expect the portal to be placed so high up in the sky. Maybe the Elder thought humans could fly? No, he was too wise to make mistakes like that. Being Dragon, he survived the landing without any external or internal injuries as far as he could sense. His hands slid from his back to his backside, and he let out a sigh. “Does not help when you have a tail either.” He stood, knees wobbling still from the impact. “No time to think about it. I have to get moving…” He willed his legs to take a step, then another, climbing out of the crater he had made unwillingly.

When he stepped outside, he was promptly greeted by smiling, green gelatinous creatures. He had read about them before- they were called Slimes. And since it was green, he assumed that it was an Earth Slime, capable of damaging enemies by throwing magical chunks of dirt. He never thought flying dirt would hurt this much. One particular glob seemed to laugh at the Dragon when its spell hit him square in his face. He ran past the hostile goos, finding wooden boxes along the way containing bottles of green liquid (anything may have been helpful at this point), being careful not to get hurt. His hopes of pacifism died, though, when he saw a gigantic beast, more than twice his size, standing between him and the possible exit to the forest.

“I hoped it would not come to this,” The Dragon muttered in his own language as he drew his slender blade into his hands. He had magical powers which allowed him to store his sword as energy in his scales, allowing him more mobility and easier access to his weapon.

The beast charged, and took the Dragon by surprise as he was knocked away by such an impact. He skidded to a halt, driven into the earth, struggling to keep a grip on his weapon while keeping his eyes on the creature. The beast’s nostrils flared, lowering its horned head to prepare itself to launch into the Dragon again. He would not allow that. With newfound determination, the Dragon focused what was left of his arcane powers into the blade. The beast charged, but as it closed in on him, the sword burst into flames. Unable to stop its momentum, the beast allowed its head to come into contact with the blade with its full force behind it, resulting in a sizzling, halved head dropping right in front of the swordsman. He sighed in exhaustion and proceeded to move forward, with nothing to guide him to his goals, unaware of a shadow hiding above a tree who was watching him and every move he made…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wondered where the heck D stored his weapon. I know the battle sequence is a bit rushed, and that the boss doesn't go down in one hit. But I suck at writing, so there. Also, TIL that turning the opening cutscene into just story format was boring.


	3. Not-so-hidden Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dragon finds himself a friend as well as a way to hide his identity, if at all.

**Medium Forest, just North of Smalltown**

The Dragon found himself deeper in the forest than he expected it to be. He wanted to escape the area, to find the Oracle to ask what to do now that he was in the human realm. As he dodged a moving tree stump’s claw and fled into a safe square of land, he breathed heavily. He wasn’t used to such heights of athletics in this body.

“Wh… What is this place?!” He wondered aloud, as that was his habits, “Why does everything want to kill me?!” Suddenly, a series of giggles fell down to his ears from aboveheads.

“…Says the guy who looks like a monster…” The voice was that one of a human female, he noted in his head, but that didn’t keep the Dragon’s anxiety from rising. “Don’t worry,” the voice crooned, “I’m not here to kill you or anything.”

“Who is there,” he tried to retort, searching his head for the correct human language. “and why will you not show yourself?!” The giggles continued, but the voice was coming from all directions now. There was a faint rustling of leaves overhead, when a human girl materialized behind him out of nowhere.

“Hey there!”

“GAAAAAH?!” The Dragon jumped, scared out of his wits, and scrabbled his way backwards in utter panic. When he got enough distance between the two, though, he noticed that the human was about the same age as him, albeit a bit taller. Her flowing blonde hair was tied in a neat ponytail, which complimented the piercing blue eyes of hers. She wore a leafy green T-shirt with matching cutoffs, clearly not embarrassed about showing off her proportions. All four of her limbs were covered in a tight-fitting black fabric. She also had on a gold brooch, adorned with a single, translucent yellow gem that secured the short black cape, letting the fabric hang loose behind her back. With a smug look, the female continued talking.

“I’ve been watching you for a while, you know. You fight pretty good for a meteorite, I’ll give you that much!” She laughed, seeming as she was completely savoring the swordsman’s surprise.

“Meteorite?” The Dragon raised his brow, slightly offended. “I am no meteor, I am…” He was about to say that he was a Dragon in front of a human, he realized. That would kill the reason he had taken on this uncomfortable form. He needed some way to fool this situation, or otherwise risk being slain by human hands. The female seemed nonlethal enough, but she did carry a pair of knives at her waist. “I am D.” He concluded. D hoped that would be enough to fool the human.

“D, huh? That’s your name?” The female tilted her head sideways. “That’s an interesting name… you’re not from around here, are you?”

“That is not important,” D stood, patting the dust from his pants. “I need to find the Oracle, right away!” This was true; his instructions were to seek the Oracle’s assistance, and stop the Dargon’s invasion in any means possible.

That all went out the window when the human asked, “What’s an oracle?”

“Well… you know…” D was at loss of human words. He was given instructions of what he was supposed to find, but no clear instructions on what he was supposed to be searching for. “It is like a… well, it looks like a…”

“You don’t know, then.” That hurt. “And let me guess, you also don’t know where you’re going…” That drove the nail to the head. D could only answer a slight “no” after sighing over his stupidity.

“Well, Mr. Meteor, I’m planning on heading to the nearest town after I finish my quest.” The human turned on the spot, her nonchalant personality seeping into her voice. “You can tag along and help me.” D looked up at the proposal. “We can go around town afterwards and ask around for your so-called Oracle. Deal?” She held her hand out, waiting for the Dragon to take it.

“Sounds reasonable.” D decided, taking her hand in a courteous manner like he read back at his realm.

“Great! After all, two swords are better than one!”

“I suppose…” D responded, but then quickly returning his consciousness onto the female’s waist. Were knives supposed to be sorted into swords?

“By the way, pleasure to meet you. My name’s Lina.” Lina. He would not forget that name, for it was his first comrade in this foreign world. Bliss filled his heart for a fleeting moment before he heard the low growls of monsters approaching.

“Oh, not again!” D muttered, taking out his sword, turning to face the monsters. There were many more than expected; some Earth Slimes, that moving tree stump from before, and a small figure, clothed in red fabric, sneering at their prey. He took down an Earth Slime with a swift slash of his sword, determined to protect his guide, but his skin broke beneath the miniature goblin’s clawed fingers. “ _Glaquis_ ,” the Dragon cursed quietly in his tongue as he held his wound so that no more blood gave away. Suddenly, he felt a breeze come over him. Turning around, he saw Lina fell the tree stump with an expert flick of her hand, armed with the knives. Whenever she moved, he thought, the wind followed her movements.

“D, behind you!” Lina pointed behind D, and he had just enough time to dodge another clawed scratch from the goblin just by a breadth of a hair. He sliced at the goblin with Lina, who followed his movements. Soon, all of their assailants were defeated. D gasped for air, tired of the ordeal, as Lina rummaged through the carcasses casually.

“So, this quest of yours.” D scratched his head, unfamiliar of his companion’s motives, “What is it about?”

“Oh, some normal things. Beating monsters up and stuff.” She seemed to find something interesting, guessing from the twinkle of her eyes as she held up a black sphere from the goblin. She hummed happily and put it in her pouch. “Although, I have to find something big to report. Small ones like this just won’t make the cut!”

“So… More fighting?” D didn’t like doing unnecessary things, due to his emergency, but mostly from his personality.

“Yep!” Lina grinned mischievously, while D groaned in displeasure.

 

The two had fought many monsters up to this point. D had learnt that the tree stumps were the most dangerous, since they had the ability to envenomate both of them, and that the green liquid healed his wounds. He probably would have been in better shape if he knew that beforehand. It wasn’t long until Lina led both of them to see a giant beast, clad in metal plates, place a boulder on the road with a echoing thud.

“Ah, perfect!” The beast was capable of human speech, to Lina’s surprise. “Now, they ain’t nobodies that can pass through here without the permission of MURDER INC!” Not very intelligent at the least, Lina sighed. She approached the beast with a smile on her face.

“Hey! That’s a nice boulder you got there,” Lina casually said. “Whatcha doing with it?”

“Oh hey!” The beast was pretty friendly. “I was just settin’ up this large rock so’s it’ll block the path up into town. Then I can charge people who want to pass through! Pretty nifty huh?” The monster said, huffing in pride as though he just saved the world.

“Sure is!” Lina noticed the familiar figure approaching her from behind, and turned to him in a hushed voice. “Oh D, I just found my quest!”

“Oh, what is it now? Another slime…?” With that, he realized that there was only one rock in his line of sight, not two. “AAAHHHHH!!! WHAT IS THAT?!” He stepped back in absolute terror and surprise, making Lina and the beast shut their ears in defense.

“How are you surprised?!” Lina said, unimpressed at the Dragon’s response. “I’ve seen you fight scarier-looking monsters.”

“Yes, but that is a 9 foot tall cow monster thing with a club!” D himself was amazed of his description of what he saw. He did not know much of the human world outside of ancient tomes, but he believed he got his point across.

“Hey, I ain’t no cow!” The beast said proudfully. “I’m a hippo!”

“Well, I’m here for my payday and I’m looking straight at it!” Lina retorted, unsheathing her knives. D, too, unleashed his sword into its physical form.

“Wait, are you with Mercenary Inc?” The monster growled, holding its club up high. “You ain’t gonna stop us! Smalltown will be ours!”

“We’ll see about that!” Lina retorted challengingly. “Alright Mr. Meteor, let’s finish this quickly!”

“I am not a meteor!” D responded, but was cut short as the beast crashed its club into the ground between them. Lina avoided the attack, but unfortunately for the Dragon, his hoodie got caught in the impact. He was thrown backfirst into the ground and found that something held him there by the hood. Impale. He realized in horror as the giant club was raised high up in the air, ready to deliver the final blow. D, in desperation, covered his face with his arms as thought that might help him.

“Hey, Rocky!” Lina’s voice rung out, making it turn around. “Catch,” she said, throwing three of those black spheres they found in rapid succession toward the monster. Upon contact, they burst into flames, making the beast roar in pain. Lina rapidly reached D’s location and took out the object that held the young Dragon there, a simple wooden spike. D thought the battle was over when the beast fell, but to no avail, as it rose up again on its legs and roared menacingly. D summoned his courage and his arcane powers into his sword, making it burst into flames again. It came into contact with the beast’s club, transferring the fire onto the wooden weapon, and left the monster without a weapon to fight with. Unfazed, it attempted to tackle Lina. Lina slid beneath the legs, the wind behind her every motion, and D met the beast’s turned head with a skillful swipe of his sword into its face. The beast fell to its knees again, groaning in defeat.

“Ugggg… This ain’t over!” It spat, and ran away from the site.

“Wow… for a big guy he sure does run fast…” Lina commented, looking at the trail of dust he had left. D sighed.

“Is it over?” He asked tentatively, turning his sword into energy and storing it in his scales, now shining in a deeper hue of red.

“Looks like it. Time to head back to town, then.” Lina said, eyeing the Dragon’s peculiar act then sheathing her knives herself as well.

“Great!” D said enthusiastically, thinking that he was now able to search for the Oracle.

“Oh, by the way…” Lina took out a piece of charcoal, and wrote on the boulder, _Don’t worry, just walk around the rock for now. Smalltown is this way!_ , with an arrow pointed to the direction the pair was walking toward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate Ents. I wanted to showcase the two heroes’ starting skills, and what better way than to use them both on the same boss? The word Glaquis came up when I was trying to create an original character, and base it as a Gray Marquis. Sounds like growling, so it fits in, I guess. And since this game is based around a bit of a medieval timeline, I used charcoal for writing, not pen or pencil.


	4. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D meets with Lina's boss and gets caught off guard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may be asking yourself "How does this guy write so many chapters in so little time?!" by this point. I have two answers. One, I'm a girl. Two, I write this on Word first and then Copy/Paste it into the website. So most of these stories are old.

**Smalltown**

“Welcome to Smalltown!” Lina gestured to D, who was amazed with what he saw. It was nothing he had never seen before; the place was lively, with many humans, more than he could count. But that didn’t matter much for now. “I’ll bet Tristam knows all about your Oracle thing.”

“Who is Tristam?” There were many other questions he wanted to ask, but he felt that this was the most important for now.

“Well,” Lina started. “He’s my boss and leader of Mercenary Inc. He’s been here for a long time, so he knows the place more than I do.” She led D to a particularly large building, with a sign adorned with an image of an Earth Slime. “He’s great! You two’ll get along just fine, I promise!” She entered the double doors with ease, D following behind her. “I’m back! Just finished my first quest!”

“Ahh! Lina, welcome back!” The pair was greeted by a man the same height as D, only with shining silvery hair and beard, wearing red and orange clothes. For a seemingly old man, his skin was lightly tanned and fair, without any wrinkles, unlike what D had read about human’s aging system. He turned his head toward the young Dragon. “And I see you brought a friend. My name is Tristam. You can call me Old Tristam for short.” D cocked his head at that. That didn’t seem short at all. “Welcome to Mercenary Inc! We help those in need, who have mouths to feed!”

“That is very… interesting.” He was still pondering the “Old Tristam” paradox when he was caught off guard.

“I’ll say! I think it’s even more interesting that our little company has been graced by the presence of a Dragon!”

“You… know what I am?!” D froze, terrified of the fact.

“Yes, of course. Tail and scales kind of gave it away…” D groaned, cursing himself silently in his tongue for his lack of attention. “But I know a Dragon when I see one. That was certainly a spectacular entrance you made.” He now considered complaining to his adoptive grandfather for placing the portal to this realm so high up. “Good job finding him, Lina!”

“Thank you! I do try my best.” She smiled radiantly, happy with the compliment coming from her leader.

“I am looking for the Oracle.” D started, trying to think why Tristam, a human, has not attacked him yet if he knew a Dragon was there before his eyes. “I was told you may be able to help me out.”

“You do know a lot about oracles, right, Old Tristam?” Lina suggested to D’s aid. Tristam thought in silence for a while, before looking up with a smile in his eyes and speaking one word, enough for an answer.

“Nope!” The duo sighed in unison. “Now now, just because I can’t recall doesn’t mean it’s not out there somewhere! Perhaps you should check out the cave west of Smalltown. There are always some interesting things in there… you just might find what you’re looking for.”

“I do not have time to go cave exploring!” D said angrily and in frustration. “I need to find the Oracle, now!”

“Well then, I can’t help you anymore! See you around!” With a hearty laugh, Tristam left the vicinity of the two teenagers’ line of sight.

“Bye, Tristam!” Lina waved toward his disappearance, then turned to meet the gaze of her tailed companion. “Well, are you going?”

“I guess I do not have any other choice,” D said with a sigh.

“Okay, good luck!” Lina flashed the same smile she used toward her superior. “Thanks again for the help. See you around!”

“…”

“…The exit’s over there.” She pointed at the double doors where they had entered.

“Er, right.” D, looking a bit embarrassed, left the Mercenary Headquarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter is short. There’s an old ruins later on which had Dragon language mentioned on it, so I guessed that the humans killed off many Dragons before they settled on a new dimension. And the humans back then caught helping Dragons would be like Jeanne D’Arc and got killed. I am dark when I want to be.


	5. The Start of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D goes off into Evil Cave, and finds several interesting things along the way.

**Evil Cave, West of Smalltown**

The map given to him by a kind yet peculiar stranger who called himself Bengal Savauge pointed to him the directions to the location the people all called the Evil Cave. It was not anything out of the ordinary, save for a large wooden sign with the word “EVIL” and a picture of a skull on it. D adjusted the bag (given to him out of generosity by a shopkeeper) on his back, containing the healing glass bottles and many other materials, and headed in. He felt the air in the cave become tighter in his throat, not because of the claustrophobic surroundings. Rather, a cave should feel comfortable to him, due to his raised environment.

“This place,” D thought out loud, “I sense an evil presence… I have felt this before… it feels like…” No, he couldn’t believe it. It’s not like the human realm had time passing by quicker than his own, no? “But… It could not be…”

“HEY THERE!”

“GAHHH!!!” D practically jumped, dropping his things in the process. The potion bottles didn’t break upon impact, luckily, but he was too surprised to care for that in the moment.

“Oh, sorry.” Lina stood there, her hand on her waist as if she was waiting for him.

“What are you doing here?” D rubbed his back, patting away the dust just like he had done in his previous surprise encounter.

“Well, I couldn’t just let a guy with no sense of direction go wandering around a cave all by himself.” Lina scratched her head, apparently slightly embarrassed. “I figured I’d come help you out!”

“I…” D was dumbstruck. Yes, it was true he didn’t know much of the human world, but it didn’t mean he needed someone to babysit him. “I know where I am going! I do not need a guide. I follow my senses.” There was a lie in there, though. He didn’t know where to go, but he sure could follow where the evil presence was coming from.

“I get the feeling your senses couldn’t find their way out of a wooden box.” Lina said smugly. It was true, if the Mercenary Headquarters counted as one large wooden box. D contemplated the willingness of his comrade to aid him to the dangers that may await them.

“It might be a… little… dangerous. I sense something foul in this place.” Little was an understatement, D thought, for it was one emitted by the world-devouring beast he was supposed to hunt down.

“No sweat,” Lina shrugged off D’s worried gaze. “I can take care of myself. Besides,” With that, Lina closed in on the young Dragon up to the point that her nose was just inches from his, “I SENSE treasure here, just waiting to be found!”

“Treasure?” D had known of Lina’s occupation as thief when they chatted on the road to Smalltown.

“Oh, and also. Your Oracle might be in there too.”

“Right!” Lina giggled at how easy it was to please her friend as she saw D’s face light up at the sheer expectation of fulfilling his task, when suddenly a hand slashed at them out of the darkness. Lina turned around to see a grotesque, human figure limp toward the two, teeth bared and skin a sickly green hue.

“When you said you sensed something foul, was this it?” Lina covered her nose with her cape. “’Cause that thing’s smelly.”

“No, that is not it.” D said casually, slicing away at the rotten humanoid that approached them. When its skin broke under his blade though, D nearly fainted at the scent that emanated from its wound. “Although it does stink like a Bog Serpent…” Being Dragon, D had heightened senses unlike humans. That meant enemies like these caused more mental damage than usual.

“Bog Serpent? Hope we don’t run into those things anytime soon.” Lina smiled as the two proceeded deeper into the cave.

 

“So, Lina.” D asked casually as they slaughtered through hordes of hostile bats and moving armored human skeletons. “What is so evil about this cave? Except for the amount of enemies, I mean.”

“Well, it’s the cave where the Legendary Hiro defeated the evil witch, Rita.” She bent down over a single bat they had taken down and picked up a vial of green potion.

“Huh,” D cocked his head in confusion. He didn’t know much of human mythology more than their basics. “I do not know who those people are.”

“Oh.” Lina met her friend’s eyes, slapping herself on the head mentally for being inconsiderate of D’s origins. “Well, two years ago, the evil witch Rita stole the crystal of power from the Kingdom of Crystalia and set off here, into this cave. Hiro’s the person assigned to the quest of retrieving it.”

“Then it is not a myth of any kind?”

“It did only happen two years ago, D.” Lina now searched through the human skeleton that set on them before, taking out several scraps of metal and putting it in her pouch. “Anyways, I’ve heard that it was a really epic battle and the Legendary Hiro was able to take the crystal back.”

“Wow… He sounds really important.” Nodding to show his understanding, D resumed to walk toward where he felt the evil presence coming from. He was soon faced with a magic circle, its glow bathing the area in a warm, orange light.

“It’s alright,” Lina assured her now puzzled partner. “Just step in.” D nodded, and followed Lina into the light. When he opened his eyes, they were in a different area of the cave. There were no monsters though, making it particularly easier to see where they had to go. On their way toward the next magic circle, the two passed by a box, this time painted red and rimmed with gold unlike its predecessors. D tried to open the lid of the red box but to no avail.

“Hey, Lina. This box is locked.”

“I was right!” D moved over as his companion dashed over to his side with a glimmer in her blue eyes. “There was treasure here! Don’t worry, I have just the thing…” With that, Lina rummaged around in her bag until she took out a mechanical gadget, shaped to fit into the palms of her hands easily, and attached with what looked like the tip of a key at the top. “Introducing the HACKPICK 2000! It uses a Visual Basic GUI interface to track down the IP address of the treasure lock!” She continued, clearly excited of the occasion.

“I have no idea what you have just said.” D replied calmly, but he did understand that the treasure made Lina happy.

“It’s really easy. You see the arrows in the screen, right?” D came over to take a look and, as she had said, there was a field of arrows with a small mark of a treasure box at the top as well as a moving, miniature version of Lina at the bottom. “All you have to do is to guide the little me to the little treasure box by forming paths with the arrows. You can swap arrows by touching it.”

“I see. Do you mind if I try?”

“Sure, go ahead!” Lina handed the machine into D’s hands, who was surprised to see Lina not go berserk at the idea that someone might take her treasure. As instructed, D inserted the key-like tip of the machine into the box’s keyhole and skillfully swapped the arrows to form a straight path from the starting point to the box. They now just had to wait until the small version of Lina finished her trip. When she did, though, the box clicked open to reveal its contents.

“Well, would you look at that? That’s a sword if I ever saw one.” Lina commented at the blade stored in the box, along with a single amethyst vial. The blade itself was shaped rather oddly, and morphed its shape like flames. She tried to hold the blade by the handle but jerked back at touch, as if it had bitten her rather nastily. “Holy tornadoes, that thing’s hot! I don’t think we can take this one.” D didn’t heed her warnings and took the blade. It fit snugly in his hand. “Er… D? Sure that thing’s not hurting you by any chance?” Lina asked tentatively, rubbing her hand.

“No,” D replied. Rather than burning him, it made him feel more powerful, enhancing him even. “Heatblade?” D asked softly, in which the sword seemed to reply with a pulse of energy.

“Well, if you’re done, we can get a move on.” Lina pocketed the purple potion and called out behind her. D stored his sword into energy, and followed suit.

 

“Alright, more Grenades!” Lina exclaimed, scavenging the fallen pile of bones. D was getting comfortable using his new sword, and had found that it indeed have enhanced his combat capabilities. The two had grown powerful during the exploration too, as Lina now sported a skill that made her take away items from foes during battle.

“Oh, so those black things are called Grenades?” D put away his sword and started helping Lina search for any items that may come in handy later on. They found more of those mysterious metal scraps, and put them in their bags before proceeding onwards.

“Yeah. They’re pretty useful if you mix some poison into it too!”

“P-poison?!” D stammered. “You do not mean to use it on me, right?!”

“I think you have enough on your plates without your friends turning on you, D.” Lina laughed nonchalantly before stepping into a particularly lit up room. The two was treated to a mighty stomp and a roar unlike anything they had ever heard before. A skeletal figure, this time of a dragonlike creature, stood before them. Its eyes shone bright like rubies, and emanated pure evil power from it.

“DRAGON,” The creature growled, “HOW DARE YOU SET FOOT IN THIS PLACE! YOUR INSOLENCE WILL BE YOUR DEMISE!”

“No,” D gasped. “NO! It cannot be! Am I too late?”

“Oh wow, look at that!” Lina, sensing the despair in her friend’s voice, tried to cheer him on with a nonchalant comment, but the evil energy emitted by the creature was enough to make her hands tremble. “No strings attached or anything, it’s moving all by itself!”

“Lina, be careful!” D drew his blade into his hands with a stern expression Lina had never seen before. “That is a Dargon! It is small, but it is still very strong!”

“Oh, we’re gonna fight it?” Lina followed, readying her knives in her hands. “You better have some gold up that noggin of yours!”

“PITIFUL WEAKLINGS!” The Dargon roared. “I WILL END YOU!”

And so it started. D hacked at the bones of the Dargon with all his might while Lina tried to take out something from her pouch, but both were knocked down when the Dargon focused its energy into its hands and pounded at the ground beneath them, causing a miniature earthquake. The two were knocked into the air, which the creature followed by slicing them both with its claws. Lina got back quicker to her feet than D, and eyeing D had come up back on his two feet as well, threw the amethyst vial from before into D’s body. The glass shattered, but it did not pierce his skin.

“Flask of Strength,” Lina shouted as she started to search for grenades, “now you’ll pack a punch with that sword of yours!”

“Thank you!” D shouted back, and attempted a new skill he had learnt. He willed his arcane power into his sword and, with all of his power and speed he can muster, bashed at the skeleton. The sheer force of it caused the Dargon to back down, dazed. Lina aided the attack by aiming a grenade into its legs. The leg bones broke off, making the monster roar as it fell to the ground with only its upper body intact. It attempted to create a Quake again, but they were ready; both jumped in unison to dodge it, and struck at its cranium.

“Think we’ve got it?” Lina asked, huffing.

“Usually they stop resisting after their second form has been beaten.” D replied, feeling the purple potion’s power wear off. “I think we are safe for now.”

“No chance, it seems.” Lina backed, her knives still in hand, as the skeleton reformed itself, leg bones and all.

“YOU WILL NEVER STOP US FROM DEVOURING THIS WORLD,” it roared. “IF I’M GOING DOWN, I’M TAKING YOU WITH ME!” With that cry, the monster shot a thick bolt of lightning from its body, which headed straight to Lina.

“Lina, get back!” D reacted in place for Lina, frozen with fear, and tackled her. The lightning struck D from behind, making him- and the monster- roar in pain. Lina shouted her friend’s name, even without her noticing it. The skeletal figure soon crumbled into dust as the light died down, leaving D on the ground, charred and hurt from the ordeal.

 

“C’mon! Wake up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one left me half dead when I got done with it. The Bog Serpent thing came out of nowhere. I’m gonna have a hard time explaining every available enemy in an area when we get to the later parts of the game. I can see it happening. Question, though; do Dargons stand for Dark Dragons? ‘Cause it’s more Dead than Dark.


	6. New Targets Acquired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D finds that he's returned to Smalltown intact, and finds new leads on where the Oracle may be.

**Smalltown, inside Mercenary Inc Headquarters**

When D opened his crystal eyes again, it was met with the sapphire of Lina’s.

“Oh, you’re finally awake! I was a little worried…” D noticed that he was laying on a makeshift bed, made from blankets and the small chairs from the lobby.

“My head hurts…” D woke from his position and rubbed his eyes. Strong as he was, he did feel pain like any human would. “What happened?”

“Well, that skeleton thing attacked you, and…” Lina tried her best to explain the situation and to not bring up the traumatizing event as much as she could, but Tristam came up to them and cut her short.

“The Dargon has finally returned.” He said in his questionably young voice. “I have been waiting for this to occur.”

D sighed. “This is worse than what I expected. I have to find the Oracle, and fast.”

“Right you are, lad.” Tristam nodded in agreement. “I think I found something that might be able to help you find it.” With that, Tristam turned to Lina. “Lina, please go fetch Phoebe.”

“Got it!” Lina answered, maybe a bit too cheerfully. She ran out with the two men’s eyes behind her.

“Lina carried you all the way here from the cave.” Tristam sighed. “She returned without a single gold coin.”

D was struck by his friend’s kindness as he stammered “I… will remember to thank her later.” Tristam noticed the Dragon’s scales turn a shade darker, and chuckled.

“Anyway,” Tristam continued, acting as if he saw nothing, “there is an island west of here that Phoebe used to go to. She mentioned something about an oracle or something…” He saw D’s face perk up at the mention of the word “Oracle”. “But I really can’t understand her most of the time. I’m going to have her show you how to get there.” It was just then that the two heard a cross between a war cry, a whoop and a scream all rolled up into one from the depths of the headquarters. “And there she is,” Tristam chuckled softly. “Well, have fun now. I’m going to take my afternoon nap.” D tried to call out a thanks after him, but was cut short by the bustle of the newcomer in his sight.

The girl was a tad shorter than D, but not so much that it made her look like a child. Her hair was a stunning shade of rose, and had on a yellow tanktop skirt trimmed with green. She also was equipped with a hammer too large for her height and posture, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“PHOEBE HERE!” She half yelled into D’s face. “ORC EXPERT REPORTING IN! LET’S GO SMASH SOME ORCS!”

“Wait,” D stuttered, both in surprise and confusion. “Smash orcs? No! I just need to find the Oracle!”

“RIGHT, SMASH ORCS!” Phoebe said, clearly not interested in D’s quest.

“Oooh, I want to tag along.” Lina popped out from behind Phoebe. “This looks fun.”

“Lina, you are not helping.” D sighed. “We need to find the Oracle, but now we are going to… er, ‘smash orcs’. I am scared that I cannot finish my task at this rate…”

“IT’S NOT JUST SMASHING ORCS, TAILBOY.” Phoebe, as loud as she was, said calmly. “MY AUNTIE WILL KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT IT.”

“Oh.” The Dragon slumped back from being tense at the volume of Phoebe’s voice. “Well, thank you.”

“IT’S OKAY.” Phoebe nodded. “NOW, LET’S GO SMASH SOME ORCS!”

“Phoebe?” Lina asked. “We’re kinda short on supplies. Mind if we stock up on some things?”

“SURE,” The pink- haired girl smiled a mischievous grin. “BUT I’LL BOP YOU ON THE HEAD IF YOU’RE LATE!”

“We promise,” Lina smiled in response.

 

“Did she really mean that, Lina?” D asked tentatively as they walked out of the item shop. “I mean, the part about hitting our heads.”

“Dunno.” Lina simply said, leaving D with a horrifying image in his mind until she spotted something. “Hey, look at that!” She was pointing at the equipment shop, where a solitary sword was displayed. Its blade had a ragged feel to it, as if it was trying to imitate tongues of flame. “Flame Sword, only for two thousand Coins. You could’ve bought this, you know.”

“No,” D shook his head solemnly. “That will not enhance me like the one I own.”

“Huh. Replica Heatblade, maybe?” Lina shrugged. “Hey, come to think of it… Does that mean you have the original Heatblade?”

“I think.” D looked at the scales covering his knuckles, feeling the powerful energy emitted from the sword he stored there. “Now, let us return before Phoebe gets an idea what to do with that hammer of hers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t ask me how D’s clothes survived that attack, ‘cause I dunno either. I thought that buying equips in shops felt different than finding it out in dungeons. Thought of it as near cheating. So that’s how this came to be. I cleared Crystal Story 1 just to get the feel for Phoebe’s personality and more. Also, I do not ship D/Lina if you’re interested.


	7. The Oracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D goes to "smash orcs" with Lina and Phoebe, and finds out something terrifying about the situation of the world.

**Orc Isle, East of Smalltown**

“HURRY UP, SLOWPOKES!” Phoebe shouted off the top of her lungs behind her. The three was now heading into a cavern, although this one looked shallow compared to the one beforehand. There was water all around, sometimes covering much of the floor. Phoebe, looking at the Dragon having trouble crossing a certain flooded area, added “ORCS DON’T SMASH THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW!”

“She is really scary…” D whispered so that Lina could hear him while Phoebe drowned the chat out with her humming.

“She really likes her hammer,” Lina agreed. “Old Tristam said she was trained in the Orc’s art of Hammer-Fu.”

“Hammer…?” D shot a fearful gaze at the rose-haired girl, now looking around at their surroundings for anything interesting. She set down her hammer to the ground, which echoed a resounding thud, amplified by the cavernous terrain. “If it is about swinging that thing around, I do not think I want to know what Hammer-Fu means.”

“You’ll see soon enough,” Lina said as he helped D get up from the wet patch of the floor, “when we see some enemies come her way.”

“That means now?” D chuckled slightly as several birds and crabs, along with a single frog, came bounding their way.

“Yep, now.” Lina agreed as she unsheathed her knives.

“THIS IS BORING,” Phoebe moaned. “ _KUEIK_!” With that, she sent the head of her hammer into the ground, creating a shockwave much like the one caused by the Dargon. All of the enemies were wiped out by that one spell, save for the birds, in which D and Lina defeated with ease.

“Never saw you as a mage, Phoebe!” Lina giggled, which the mace wielder smiled mischievously in response.

“I CAN DO LOTS OF THINGS,” Phoebe said, “BUT I LIKE BOPPING THEM ON THE HEAD THE BESTEST!”

“I hope I will not be at the receiving end of that.” D muttered as he continued to follow the two girls.

 

“Oh, hey. Another locked box…” D said, but sensed something that made his spine freeze. He dodged just in time to see the hammer smash open the red box. “What was that for?!” D gasped, unable to believe what just happened before him.

“THIS IS EASIER,” Phoebe huffed. “NO POTIONS IN THE BOX, SO NOTHING LOST.”

“I guess,” D started, but noticed something in the rubble at the same moment as Lina. It was a pair of silver knives, both snaking in shape and engraved with miniature pictures of crystals linked together.

“It’s a Kris.” Lina said as she held it up. “In mint condition, too! Oh, we’re so lucky!”

D was still confused how an edible herb had to do anything with a new set of knives when more monsters appeared. This time, it was a pair- a turtle with spiked shells and a large, humanoid green creature wielding a hammer.

“Keep the big one away,” Lina called out as she readied herself with the Kris, “I’ll handle the turtle!”

“Right!” D answered and got to work on the orc with Phoebe at his side when he heard a familiar but loud explosion. Lina appeared beside them shortly after the impact subsided.

“Didn’t know Item Efficiency meant Grenades powered up too,” Lina explained while simultaneously catching up to the two fighters. “And I think the cooldown’s shortened too.”

“GOOD FOR YOU,” Phoebe said as she crushed the orc’s skull under the intense impact of her hammer. D was the only one left in confusion to what in the name of drakes Lina just talked about. He did manage to think through, though, the fact that a single bomb took care of that strong-looking turtle, and figured that the new weapon she had would be useful later on.

 

It wasn’t long until the three faced the last obstacle of the cave- a large orc, larger than the rest, with a hammer at his side and dressed in armor scraps unlike his bretheren.

“Halt,” it growled in a deep voice, “no one can see the Oracle right now.”

“Oracle?!” D gasped. “The Oracle is here of all places?!”

“Guess Phoebe actually knew what to do, huh?” Lina smirked as the girl in question went up to the orc with no apparent worry on her face.

“NOT EVEN ME?!” She half-yelled and held up her hammer as if to terrorize the orc. The orc suddenly gasped, and bowed its head in a proper manner.

“Grand Master Phoebe…?!” It looked up for a fleeting moment before resuming its bow. “I am sorry Grand Master Hammer Jammer Phoebe! If you wish to consult the Oracle now, I am afraid you must first go through me!”

“SO BE IT,” Phoebe said playfully. “PREPARE TO DIE!”

“It is an honor, Grand Master Phoebe!” The orc said and readied its hammer in response.

“W-what is happening?” D stammered. “Is she really going to murder that guy?!”

“I hope she’s kidding,” Lina whispered as a battle unfolded before the two. The two mace wielders clashed, a metallic clang filling the whole cave. They both went for each other with all their power, and Phoebe being human and having limitations, was losing rather valiantly.

“TAILBOY, GREEN GIRL! EMERGENCY!” Phoebe called out behind her, her hammer blocking the orc’s.

“Green girl?” D wondered aloud as he drew his sword.

“Hey, better than yours, Tailboy.” Lina sighed as she too unsheathed her knives and joined the fray.

“GOOD OF YOU TO JOIN,” Phoebe said. “ _LIKIA OUL_!” She cried out, and a warm light enveloped the three. “THAT RAISES YOUR POWER!”

“Thanks,” the two said in unison. Lina reached for her supplies bag as D readied himself to use the Flame Strike, and noticed something. Her item pouch, kept close to her knife holster, was glowing. When she took out a single grenade in her hands, she found it glowing as well.

“Stay back!” Lina yelled as she threw the enchanted bomb toward the orc, and realized with horror that the water splashed in her eyes from the force of throwing the grenade had caused the bomb to fly toward D. She was going to warn him of the danger she had caused, but the grenade actually righted itself of its trajectory and hit the orc square in the face, resulting in a spectacular blast. The orc fell to his knees and groaned, admitting his defeat.

“You have bested me. I am defeated.” The three could now clearly see the cave systems forming some kind of room behind the orc, draped in a red curtain. A voice came out from behind the screen.

“What is with all the ruckus? I am trying to sleep!” It was a female voice, but much more mellow and deep.

“Orcracle!” The orc righted himself from his position as another orc stepped through the said curtains. This one was a female orc, her silver hair tied behind her head to expose her pointed ears and a single white crystal embedded on her forehead. She was clad in a purple robe, trimmed with golden fabric. The male orc bowed curtly. “I am sorry to have disturbed you. Please do not punish me.”

“I will handle this.” The female orc said with authority in her voice. “You are dismissed.” After seeing the large male orc disappear into the shadows, the one called Orcracle turned to meet Phoebe’s eyes with kindness. “Phoebe! How are you?”

“HEY AUNTIE!” Phoebe answered (and earned a mutter of “Is she truly an aunt of Phoebe?” from D). “I’M JUST HERE TO ESCORT TAILBOY. TRISTAM SAID IT’S IMPORTANT.”

The female orc’s face turned stern again as she nodded D to come closer.

“Are… you truly the Oracle?” D asked tentatively.

“Yes,” she nodded. “Though some people also call me Orcracle… since I’m an orc… and an oracle… so it’s like a play on words.”

D sighed in disapproval. Oracles are important people and should not be chosen just of a joke, he thought to himself but kept quiet so that she would help him. The Orcracle coughed and resumed.

“So the time has come. The portal from this world and the Dargons have been initiated. The first stage of the opening is complete.” D gasped in shock as Lina watched on, unable to comprehend the situation. She’s heard of Dargons before, but she couldn’t believe that the one they had faced before was an actual one. “You must close the portal from our side before it is fully opened and the Dargons begin to pour into our world.”

“Wait,” Lina halted the conversation. “So that was THE Dargon that Hiro fought? And what’s this about portals? What do you mean?”

“The Dargons,” Orcracle tried to explain, “is a terrible race of Demons that live only to consume the world with their evil power. They are tearing a portal into our dimension, and once it’s fully opened, well…” She muttered off into the distance, unable to bring the words to her lips.

“But, how can we stop them?” Lina asked with panic in her chest. “And better yet, who can do such a thing?”

“I must stop them,” D said mostly to assure himself. Lina looked over to her friend in surprise. “Us Dragons have been in battle with the Dargons for over a millennia. It is our responsibility that they do not devour any other worlds. I was the one sent here to close the portal before the Dargons could step into your world, Lina, but after what I have seen… I may have already been too late.” Lina could clearly see her comrade’s shoulders droop from the stress and sadness looming over him. She was about to go and comfort him when the Orcracle shook her head negatively.

“Maybe not,” she said. “There is still hope. You have to seek the alliance of the four Guardians and collect their crystals of power. They must fight alongside you, just like in the olden days. Only then you can close the gate.”

“W-where can I find them?!” D perked up at the newfound hope. Lina, as worried as she was, couldn’t help but to hold down laughter at her friend’s easily changeable mood.

“Their locations are kept a mystery, I’m afraid.” The Orcracle shook her head. “But I have valuable information about where one of the Guardians are. Tremors and sandstorms have been acting up recently along the desert sands.”

“Huh. I guess the Guardians can catch colds, after all.” Lina chuckled, while the Orcracle burst out in laughter at the unexpected joke.

“Oh, that was funnier than I thought. Anyways,” the Orcracle cleared her throat before continuing, a smile still on her lips. “The Fire Guardian goes by the name Malloc. He might be somewhere south of here.” She dropped her voice into a more serious tone and added, “be cautious of your journey. I heard that the evil witch Rita has been spotted recently. This might be all her doing.”

“Witch Rita?” Lina echoed. “But wasn’t she stopped by the legendary Hiro?”

“It does not matter, I will close that gate.” D said, determination in his voice.

“Altight, that’s the spirit!” Lina nodded, approving of her friend’s willpower. “Don’t worry! You’ve got Phoebe and me…” She trailed off, looking around. D followed her sight, only to find that the familiar rose hair had disappeared. “Okay, Phoebe’s gone… but you still got me to help! After all,” she patted on D’s shoulders encouragingly, “two swords are better than one!”

“Thank you.” D sighed. He was getting used to Phoebe’s spellcasting capabilities.

“You can exit the cave from here.” The Orcracle said, pointing to a blue magic circle behind her. “Good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orcracle’s that kind aunt/grandma everybody likes mixed with Princess Zelda from Twilight Princess. The “mint condition” joke actually happened to me. Took me a while to figure out what it actually meant. Also, try to say Kueik yourself to understand what it’s supposed to be.


	8. The Metalworking Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D and Lina return to meet a peculiar young girl.

**Smalltown**

It wasn’t long until the two went into Smalltown when they saw a girl crying at the corners of the town square. Lina simply shrugged and gestured D to come with her with the intent of helping the little girl.

“Hi there,” Lina said with a kind smile on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Are-are you with Mercenary Inc?” The girl said through the sobs. The girl looked younger than any of them, and was dressed in an orange and yellow shirt a bit too long on the sleeves. On her waist, D observed, were two mechanical objects held there much like Lina’s knives. She had on a ruffled skirt, long enough to cover her but short enough not to hinder her mobility. Her fiery hair was tied into two pigtails, and behind the tears, D could see that she sported a rather impressive power over magic in her emerald eyes. What surprised him the most, though, was her shoes. He didn’t know humans could wear boots that long.

Lina sighed, “I work for Mercenary Inc, but you’ll have to talk to my boss if you have a probl—“ She was cut short of her sentence when the girl started to cry her eyes out.

“Woah, woah!” D covered his ears to keep himself from going deaf. He did have enhanced senses, and it wasn’t for nothing. “Okay, calm down!”

The girl sniffled and murmured “okay” as she did just that.

“Just tell us what happened.” Lina comforted the girl, her voice now close to a whisper.

“Well,” The girl rubbed her eyes to rid the tears that still welled in them, “I got mugged while I was going here and now I…” She seemed to hit a realization as she gripped Lina’s hands tightly in hers. “You have to go with me to Dustop! Bandits are attacking my town, and my father is in big trouble! I promise I’ll pay you when you get there, please trust me!” She said in one hurried breath, and tears started to fall again.

“Hmm, Dustop is in the desert area. Why don’t we help her?” Lina turned to D, who was watching the commotion from a little ways away. “Maybe we’ll find your first Guardian there.”

“I suppose,” D nodded, unable to keep his eyes from the puppy-like stare of the younger girl. “Shall we tell Tristam first?”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Lina winked to her companion. “Besides, I’ve always wanted to go on my own adventure!”

“Oh, thank you so much!” The younger girl broke into a new set of crying at the show of kindness towards her.

“You’re welcome,” Lina smiled and patted the girl on her orange hair. “Show us the way, er…” She found herself unable to recognize the girl’s name.

“Oh, I’m Mari.” Mari introduced herself, now a smile forming on her face. The smile ended abruptly, though, when she saw Lina’s weapon. “Can I see that for a moment, please?”

Lina handed Mari her Kris, who held it in her hands for a moment before rummaging in her own bag, taking out several pieces of metal. The knives magically floated in Mari’s hands, and to the two’s surprise, merged with the metal scraps there. The knives fell to a rest in the young girl’s hands again, but now looking sharper than ever. Even its gleam seemed to increase for a while.

“Call it metallurgy,” Mari smiled as she handed the knives back to its rightful owner. “I think you guys found some scrap metals on your travels before? If so, can I use them?”

“Sure.” Lina nodded. “Hey, come to think. Can you do the same thing to Meteor here?” She pointed to D over her shoulders.

“Sure thing! May I see your weapon, Mr. Meteor?” Mari smiled innocently.

“My name is D, not Meteor.” D sighed and unleashed his sword, which Mari eyed it with great interest. “And careful, the sword is very hot.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Mari stammered as she repeated the process of reforging the weapons.

“I hope it doesn’t react badly with those scales of yours, D.” Lina chuckled. “We don’t want to drag around a statue, now do we?”

“No we do not,” D said with partial concern in his eyes as he was returned of his sword. It slid into his scales with no problem. “Mari, you came here alone? Did you fight any monsters?” D wondered aloud.

“I may not look like it, but I can fight!” Mari huffed her cheeks out. “I’m a mage!”

“And guessing at how she strengthened our weapons, I’d say she’s a pretty good one at that, too.” Lina agreed as the three headed out of the town and down south toward Dustop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mari can only power up their equipment in calm places, so she can’t do them inside dungeons. Maybe between dungeons. I think she’s the youngest out of the team, but that’s just me hoping.


	9. Battle On the Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three head to Dustop and find a cat. Epic battle happens.

**Small Bridge, just South of Smalltown**

“This is the bridge that connects Smalltown to the rest of the continent,” Lina explained to D as they walked over the cobblestone bridge. “Well, the south part of it anyways.”

The three soon met with a pack of hounds, all blue in fur color and seemingly equipped with a spike on its front legs. Their mouth formed rabidly and soon pounced on their prey. D managed to get his sword just in time to parry the assault on Mari. Lina started on other hounds, throwing Grenades this way and that. D feared that the bridge would collapse from impact, but it held firm under his feet. Mari, frustrated by the sheer number of the foes, held up her weapon. D had never seen those types of weapons, but Lina noticed it as a dual pistol, covered with rune-inscribed metal plates on stone. Mari pointed the pistols to a single hound and focused, making a small magic circle appear at the tip.

“ _Faia_!” The incantation rung through the area, and as she finished her spell, one hound burst into flames. The others, looking at what may happen when they crossed the young human’s path, yelped and ran away. The two turned around to see Mari blow the wisp of smoke coming off from the barrel of her gun.

“When you said you were a mage,” D stared in amazement, “you were not kidding.”

“Nope,” Mari smiled as the hounds came back, this time with backup. They were now being followed by catlike beings, clothed in colorful rags. Lina tried to ready herself, but one of the cat creatures opened its mouth to form several sounds, coming together into a soothing Lullaby. Lina’s head began to droop but snapped out of the trance when a canine bit her on the arm.

“Mari,” Lina called out while holding her arm to stop the blood loss. “Do you know other magic too?!”

Mari expertly twirled her guns in place simultaneously, and as she did, a magic circle now formed beneath her feet… and beneath one of the cat’s feet as well. “ _Erth_!” Mari yelled, and a spire of earth- earth, not cobblestones that was beneath their feet several seconds ago- knocked the target away into the waters below. D nodded in agreement to Mari’s strategy, and proceeded to knock the foes away into their watery graves. Soon all the monsters were gone.

“Lina, are you okay?” D went up to his friend, worried. “I will get that flask,” he started to rummage in his bag to find the potion they used, but Mari came up to them and placed a hand across Lina’s wound.

“ _H’Iru_ ,” she muttered, and a gentle light caressed the bite marks until they both faded. Lina shook her arm experimentally, only to find that it had healed completely.

“Your magic never ceases to amaze me, Mari,” Lina sighed and stood. “But then again, we haven’t been together for much.” Mari giggled, her youthful innocence shining through.

 

The three walked across the bridge, slower than planned due to the number of monsters they had to face. They did reach the end in time, but faced a much larger monster compared to the others. This one was catlike in appearance too, only difference being that this one had armor scraps on its body, with a fullplate helm on top of its cranium.

“Grr,” the beast growled. “Why can’t I just stay at home today? This spot is full of water…” Mari gasped and pointed to the beast, anger in her eyes.

“It’s him! He’s the one who stole my money!” D nodded in silent agreement, and walked up to the beast.

“Hey you!” D found that it was hard to describe the beast, since he didn’t know his name. “Um… Cat thing!”

“Cat thing?” The monster turned to meet the eyes of a very determined Dragon, then to the other two girls.

“Give back the money you stole!” Although the feline was much taller than D, he courageously presented an empty hand, as to ask for the return of the cash.

“Oh great, here we go again.” The cat sighed, yawning lazily in the process. “This bridge is now the property of Murder Inc, save me some time and just pay up.”

“Oh hey, it’s one of the Murder Inc guys,” Lina smiled. “Didn’t see any signs saying that beforehand.”

“Oh… Mercenary Inc?” The cat moaned, truly bored of the outcome. “Ugh, just what I needed.”

“Last chance, Cat… thing…” D said, unsure of his word choice but standing firm. “Give back the money you stole, or I will be very angry.” The monster sighed in displeasure.

“Come and try,” he grumbled as he unsheathed claws from his paws. D rushed in first, followed by Lina, to aim a slice at his head. The cat was agile though, and dodged the dual attack. What he didn’t expect was a spell coming from the third adventurer.

“ _Laitnin_!” Mari yelled, and struck the cat with a bolt from the heavens.

“Two can play that game, little girl,” the monster grinned evilly and held up two of his clawed fingers before whispering, “ _Worta_!” A magic circle, this one being a dark navy color, appeared around Mari. In an instant, all four of her limbs were encased in ice. As Mari struggled to free herself from the frost, the cat pounced on her, only to be thrown away by the sheer force of the Dragon’s sword bashing at his side.

“Lina,” D said as the monster sailed through the air, “Grenade, now!”

“Got it,” Lina answered and threw an enchanted bomb from her pouch. The strengthened explosion forced the monster to sail into the waters below the bridge with a splash.

“Are you all right?” D went up to his friend and touched the icy prison with his blade. The ice, magical as it was, melted before Mari’s eyes. “I told you it was hot,” D grinned.

Just then, the beast re-emerged from the waters, leaping back into action. His fur was matted with water, and the helm had come off. His eyes now shined brightly with rage and bloodlust. D and Lina was just about to strike the cat with their most powerful abilities- Flame Strike and Blast respectively- but Mari’s hand told them to stop.

“Of course,” Lina whispered. “Wet things don’t get harmed by fire too often.” D agreed silently as the cat slowly crawled to their vicinity. Mari charged up her magic, spinning her pistols at her side, as if to answer the cat’s aggression. The cat suddenly lunged into Mari with a guttal roar.

“ _Laitnin_ ,” Mari said as the beast’s claws were only an inch away from her throat. The bolt of lightning seemed to increase in power as it found its mark.

“Wet things conduct electricity more, I guess.” Lina scratched her head as the cat fell to the bridge. It came back on its feet quicker than expected, and roared.

“Grr,” The cat reared its body away from the three. “This isn’t over!” He ran away, clearing the path to progress.

“Oh, that was neat, Mari! You sure showed him!” Lina congratulated her friend, now smiling sheepishly at the comment, muttering a silent “thank you” in embarrassment.

“Now he will not be able to bother bridge crossers ever again.” D sighed, tired from the ordeal. He was getting used to his human form, but it would take much more time to fully realize his capabilities.

“Neato!” Mari exclaimed. “Now I can finally—“ She paused, and her face turned of that from happiness to realization, before transitioning into pure horror. “THE MONEY! WE DIDN’T GET IT BACK!”

“Oh yeah,” Lina realized as well, “we totally forgot about that…” As soon as she finished her sentence, Mari started to bawl her eyes out again, clearly taken by grief. “No no no, It’s okay! Really!” She tried to assure her friend.

“Are you sure?” Mari said through her sniffles.

“We have bigger things to worry about than that,” D said, his ears still ringing from the outburst. “What about your town?” Mari nodded, rubbing her eyes.

“Come on, let’s keep moving.” Lina ushered the two southward. “I have a feeling that we won’t be seeing the last of that kitty. We’ll get that money back, no sweat.”

Mari nodded ferverently as the three continued onwards toward Dustop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it’s about time I went over their skilltree settings in the story. They will follow what I have in my own data; D as a Slayer/Thief but using only Slayer skills, Lina as Thief/Trickster so she can spam the hell out of Grenades and Tonics, and Mari as Elementalist/Healer because she starts out with Rune Shifter. You’ll have to read ahead for the last guy, though. Also, try to pronounce the spells to find out what they’re supposed to be.


	10. Arid Battles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three passes by Orange Pass, and finds someone peculiar on the sands.

**Orange Pass, after crossing Green Plains**

“Good typhoons, this place is getting hotter by the step!” Lina said, wiping the sweat away from her eyes with her cape. The three had come a long way now, and was passing through a canyon of sorts, the last obstacle before reaching Dustop.

“Dustop’s a warm place, Lina,” Mari said happily. “I think Smalltown was a bit too cold for me.”

“If that place is cold for you,” Lina argued, “then even D’s gonna burn up in that place you call home, and he’s supposed to be a Fire Dragon!”

“Wha… A Dragon?!” Mari looked shocked from the revelation. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I was taught that humans despise Dragons,” D explained without giving too much away, “and that they would kill my kin without reasoning. Also, did you not notice my tail?”

“I thought it was a cosplay…” Mari muttered, leaving D confused and Lina gasping for air in laughter.

“Storms, that’s rich.” Lina sighed, but turned her head sideways. “Duck!” She yelled, and the three ducked just in time to see a bomb fly above their heads and burst into flames at the wall beside them. D turned to see a group of ragtag enemies approaching them. A red Slime, a scorpion with insect wings, a yellow wolf, two moving shadows, and a human wearing scarves faced them.

“Oh, we’re in for a lot of trouble.” Lina said as she readied her knives. D unleashed his sword, but was caught in surprise as the slime tackled him head(?)first. He swung off the slime with no problem, but the canine greeted him next with rabid fangs. Mari was having an equally hard time as well, as she was trying to aim for the scorpion with her Lightning magic. Lina actually seemed that she was having a good time, as she redirected the grenades coming from the mobile shadows back to their senders with a flick of her magical knives.

One of the shadows, seeing that its ally had fallen before him, turned to Mari and croaked “ _Bulain_ ”. A tape-like cloth shot out of its hands, and covered Mari’s eyes like a blindfold. It smiled sneeringly until her Earth spell finished its assault.

“I trained so that I could see the enemy even when it was dark, okay?” She huffed as the battle finished. When she saw the other two watch her with amazement still after her explanation, she added, “I sense magic powers in the target so my magic hits them even if I can’t see them physically. I can’t land a hit when I use my bullets in that state, though.” Lina nodded while D was still trying to figure out what was the “bullets” Mari just mentioned.

 

The three continued their trek to Dustop when they set upon something lying on the sands before them. Upon slight examination, D figured out that it was a man facing down.

“What… No, who is that?” D breathed as he stepped closer. Most of the body was covered in a red cape, ripped at its ends. D figured that the creature was unlike anything he had ever seen, guessing from the solitary hand that escaped the confines of the cape. Calloused as it was, D saw that the man’s skin was actually purple.

“Oh wow,” Lina bent over the strange figure and produced a stick from her pouch, and started to poke. “Is it dead?”

“Hey, stop poking it with a stick!” Mari was a bit scared at the mysterious being, and proceeded to hide behind the safety of the Dragon’s back.

“No… Looks like he is still breathing.” D came closer to the man (to Mari’s horror) to examine the man more closely.

“I-I think he’s hurt,” Mari realized that the situation might be more of an emergency than one of horror, “should we help him?”

“I wonder if he was involved with the Bandit raid in Dustop,” Lina commented while poking with the stick repeatedly. “Mari, have you seen this guy before?”

“Nope, he doesn’t look like a bandit.” Mari shook her head, still trying to make Lina stop poking. “You know those guys with scarves before? Those are bandits.”

“Hmm,” Lina mumbled as she continued. “He doesn’t really look like anything I’ve ever seen before. Maybe I should poke it some more.”

Suddenly, as Lina was about to give the body a good poke for the last time, the man half-roared, half-groaned back to standing position, and (mysteriously) with a scythe in his hands. Now that he was awake, D could see more of the mystery man. He was tall, with a bit more than a head taller than Lina, the tallest out of the three. The stranger had sharp, chiseled facial features- not a joke, D thought, as the man had long, pointed ears and a pair of horns on his forehead. He had piercing gold eyes, now slits more than pupils, behind his slick, midnight hair. He was clad in some dark metal shoulder and breastplates, where the cape started to flow onto his back. Underneath the armor pieces, though, D found that the shirt looked a bit… regal. The hems of his dark trousers disappeared into the greaves, its metal plating jutting out of place, but the man didn’t seem to mind. He did, though, growled out some words before leaning in to strike at the three.

“YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, SYLANDRA!” With that cry, the man lunged at D, his scythe in hand. He sliced through D’s torso, even before he could get his sword out. The man attacked relentlessly, four times in succession, and they all met their mark. D struggled to get back on his feet, and found that his flesh was slightly turning green from where the blade met his flesh. He was poisoned.

“Oh, don’t you dare!” Lina shouted and placed both her hands in front of her, as to ward off something. “ _P’Isn_!” A bolt of green magic spewed from her outstretched palms, and the man flinched as he was poisoned himself.

“ _Kuar_ ,” Mari whispered as she came closer to D, the spell completely detoxifying his body. “Okay, now we can get him back for what he did!” She grinned.

"I have an idea, Mari.” D nodded. “He is confused and needs something to make him come to his senses. I will try something. Until I am ready, please keep yourselves safe. Okay?”

“Yep,” Mari agreed. “Lina, did you get all that?”

“Sure did,” Lina skidded to a halt beside the two, the force of a grenade whipping her ponytail in the air. “Have at him!”

D started toward the strange man with no weapon at his side, who roared and lunged at him in response. Just as the scythe was about to make another contact with the Dragon’s body, D jumped to dodge the sideways attack. He twirled in air (Lina had taught him that it was called a somersault), and with concentration, willed his sword to be unleashed from the tip of his tail. With the force of the spin behind the already strong sword, D’s Heatblade managed to knock the other man unconscious.

“Done,” D announced as he landed and the man crumpled on the spot. “And do not worry, I made sure to hit him with the non-sharp part of the sword.”

“I… I’ll make sure he’s cured, okay?” Mari stammered and partially ran to the man. “He’s not from the bandit raid, and I don’t want him to stay like this.”

“Looks like Mari’s found a crush,” Lina muttered under her breath. When she was done casting the last of her healing spells, though, the man moaned and sat up.

“What was that for?” D asked as he crouched down to meet the man’s gaze. The stranger simply clicked his tongue in annoyance and stood up, making D fall over from surprise.

“Get out of my way, Dragon.” The man spoke in a calmer voice as he retrieved his scythe from the ground, made it disappear, and left the scene with the three still at their places.

“He just left,” Lina said after a moment had passed. “How come he knows about you, D? Do you know him from somewhere?”

“No.” D sighed. “We cannot waste any more time just thinking about it, no?”

“Hope we don’t run into him again,” Lina agreed and stood up.

“Dustop’s just ahead,” Mari said. Although not evident, D could sense sadness from his newest friend’s voice. Perhaps she did have this “crush” on that man? He set the thought aside for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long live the prince. I try to wipe the word “god” away as much as possible, turning them into words corresponding to the character’s background, since there seems to be no god in the game. Yes, I know that Kaz’s eyes are grey, not gold. But we already have grey-eyed humans in real life, so I wanted to make him more inhumane appearance-wise.


	11. Dusty Quests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three reach Dustop, and is asked to do something for the sake of the town.

**Dustop**

When the three entered the town, Mari led them straight to the local bar, saying that it was where Mari and her father set up shop. The town was mostly deserted (no pun intended, but D found this quite amusing), with near-empty stores and houses lining up the barren streets.

“Hey pardner, you’re back…” A man stood from one of the seats. The man looked worn and tired from what D could see under his hat. On his leather coat was a golden star-shaped badge, in which Lina explained to D that he had the position of Sheriff in the city. His eyes shone with the same light as Mari’s, making it clear that he was Mari’s father even before Mari herself greeted him as “dad”.

“Hiya, we’re Mercenary Inc!” Lina said cheerfully.

“Can you tell us what happened?” D asked, bowing a bit as he did so.

“You’re here to help, huh?” The sheriff looked over the two comrades of his daughter, and from D’s perspective, he was trying to measure how much power they had in them. “A bunch of no gooder bandits thought it would be fun and take over our mine west of here,” the sheriff said, finally done judging the two teenagers. “Bad news for them; it ain’t a gold mine. The mine is our source of metals. You know, to craft our weapons. Now they’re trying to milk our town of everything while crippling our one source of income.”

“They’ve been attacking the town non-stop,” Mari chimed in. “So I thought I would hire mercenaries to help… But then I lost the money…”

“You what?” The sheriff turned his eyes toward Mari, who whimpered a bit under her father’s stare. He sighed, figured that there were more important things to say, and carried on. “They want gold and that Bandit Leader ain’t stopping until he gets it.”

“Bandit Leader?” Lina echoed.

“The head honcho,” the sheriff explained. “Take him down and everybody else follows.”

“Sounds like our specialty.” Lina nodded, knowing full well that her draconic friend liked to keep things simple like so. The Dragon in question, though, had thoughts running in his head, thinking if he could ask the Bandit Leader if he knew anything about the Guardians.

“Mari can take you there and help you take them down.” The sheriff put an encouraging hand around his daughter’s shoulder. “She may not look much, but she’s one of the greatest gunslingers in all of Dustop.”

“Dad?!” Mari exclaimed, rose tinting her cheeks. “It’s not much… Just a little bit.” She muttered, twiddling her thumbs around.

“Oh, come on now! You ain’t the junior sheriff of this here town for nothing!” Both teenagers looked at Mari in disbelief.

“Junior sheriff?” Lina wondered aloud, making Mari blush more.

“I’ll stay here and defend the town from further attacks. We have little to lose, but it’s still a major part of this town.” He nodded as to confirm himself.

“Got it.” D agreed. “All right, let us get moving.”

“Oh, D?” Lina poked him on the back. “Mari’s saying that she wants to power up her weapons. We’ll get moving when the preparations are done, okay?”

“Oh,” D sank into one of the chairs by the bar. “Understood.”

“And she wants to enhance your power gauntlets too, so take them out for her.”

“How did she know?!” D almost exclaimed as he unleashed a metallic set of gauntlets from his scales. They have been with him from the near start of his journeys, and have raised his offensive capabilities ever since. The sheriff eyed the Dragon, revising his former judgments of him being a bit scrawny to fight.

“Son, let me tell you,” the sheriff started. “Mari’s been like that ever since she was little.”

“I am not your son?” D looked confused at the sudden conversation. The adult just laughed and continued on.

“My little girl was born like that, you see, with magical powers far too strong to understand, even to our standards.” The sheriff’s eyes turned to that of a sheriff’s to one of a father’s as he talked. “Noticing things with her magic more than her eyes, using those said powers to help the armory, things like that. Those guns she uses? She made them herself out of magic and a bit of metal.” His gaze turned distant for a moment. “That’s why other children wouldn’t be with her when she was little… She’s been lonely. But looking at her like this,” he pointed to Mari smiling as she worked out some kinks in D’s gauntlets, “I’m happy for her. Thank you for being such a good friend to my little girl.”

“Well,” D tried to find the correct words to the man. “Thank you for blessing the world with your kind daughter.”

When D rejoined the two girls, his hair looked a bit more ruffled than normal.

“What happened?” Lina asked tentatively. “Did the purple guy show up again?”

“Mari,” D sighed, “I believe your father gave me what is called a noogie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I laughed when I thought up of the “deserted” pun as well as the “son” conversation. I tried to get the Sheriff’s personality, but ended up as a plain old daddy. Well, it was the best I could do with the limited NPC text.


	12. The Bandit in the Mines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three enter the Mines and face off against a scoundrel.

**Mines, West of Dustop**

“This mine is where Dustop gets most of its minerals,” Mari explained as the three entered the cave. “It’s a great source of materials for weapons and metallurgy, but people just often mistake it for a gold mine.” D could see that as well, as all of the walls surrounding them had silver veins here and there.

“I can kinda see how this might be bandit target,” Lina agreed, then turned to D. “Hey D, maybe they sensed treasure here somehow. And where there is treasure there might be the crystal.”

“That is what I have been thinking,” D nodded. “Let us be on guard.”

“Which is now!” Mari yelped as several skeletal beings clattered to their direction. Two of them were only equipped with bows, but one held knives much like Lina, only that these ones were rather rusty. The one leading them, though, had polished knives and was clad in red armor.

“Go for the bowmen,” Lina said as she unsheathed her strengthened Kris knives. “I’ll take on the red one!” D and Mari agreed, and took out the non-armored skeletons one by one, both working together to incinerate the souls. When the two turned to Lina, she was already done, the skeletal remains crumbling before her, the armor buried in its bony mound.

“Look what I found,” Lina smirked as she twirled a ring in her finger. Though it was spinning lazily, D could make out that the ring was adorned with a pink gemstone at the center. “Catch,” Lina threw the ring to Mari, who catched it with ease.

“Oh, it’s a circlet!” Mari exclaimed with glee. “But they’re a bit too large for me… Oh,” she put her hands inside, and the circlet magically shrunk to fit her wrist snugly. Her magic must be strong as her father told me, D thought, if she could do things like that. But wouldn’t that make the circlet more dense and heavier as a result? Mari continued on with a joyous expression on her face until the whole team came face-to-face with a pack of blood-red bats as well as a solitary ball of fire.

 

“Hey, a locked box.” D noticed something hiding behind a series of rock formations as they were walking by. “Lina, the Hackpick?”

“Got it,” Lina nodded and began tinkering with it. When she was done unlocking the said chest, there was a single purple potion that the three had gotten used to seeing, but another item caught their eye. It was a necklace, and a poorly made one. The string was attached to a metal loop at the end of a piece of a wooden stick, and the other tip was covered in a metal cap, with something like a fin protruding from one side. The entire piece of wood was covered in scribbles, which Mari noticed were runes.

“Nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Lina breathed. “Might as well keep it for good luck, huh?” With that, she held out the necklace to D, who wore it but concealed it under his collar.

 

The three walked into a den of all places, something they did not expect to see. A voice emanated from the room, echoing all around to the cavernous setting.

“Well, what’d we have here?” The voice sneered.

“Who is there?” D roared in response. “Show yourself!”

“Ah,” the voice crooned. “But I’m having fun toying with my prey. You’ve made a huge mistake by coming here! I am stealthy as the night! You cannot see me!” The voice yelled triumphantly as Lina approached one of the barrels by the corner of the room.

“Boo,” She said to the figure curled up behind it. The dark figure shrieked as it slid into view, away from the green female. It wore a black mask, and was equipped with a pair of silvery claws.

“How did you know where he was?” D asked out the corner of his lips as they cornered the Bandit Leader.

“Lucky guess,” Lina smirked.

“Um,” Mari stammered, finally being able to corner the villain. “Y… you are under arrest! Please cooperate and come with me.”

“Well, well, well…” The Bandit Leader seemed to regain some of his composure as he saw the small girl move up to face him. “If it isn’t that sheriff brat again. If you still won’t tell me where the gold is, I’ll have to force it out of you. You know that, right?” He said, putting a single clawed edge on Mari’s head.

“B… But,” Mari whimpered. “I’ve been telling you, there isn’t any—“

“Mari, watch out!” D pounced on her as the silver claws came down to meet the young girl’s neck.

“If you want to fight, you could’ve just asked!” Lina retorted, aiming a grenade at the foe. He responded by throwing a grenade of his own, but much larger than Lina’s. This one, though, did not redirect itself like the others had done. Instead, it hit Lina’s grenade and burst into a large-radius explosion, sending everyone off their feet and outwards. The thief quickly got back on her feet and threw a vial at the ground. It was green like most of the healing salves, but it created a magic circle on the ground, healing everyone except the bandit. Mari got up and patted herself slightly off, then glanced over to find that the Bandit Leader was going straight at the Dragon’s throat.

“ _Worta_!” Mari screamed, and the ice trapped the bandit in his place. “D, wake up! The ice isn’t going to last much longer!” With the desperate call, D awoke and got up, kicking the bandit away from him in the process via backflip. He used the force behind him to spring toward the man, unleashing his sword during the jump, and bashed him square in the head with all his strength. The Bandit Leader fell, backing away from the swordsman looming before him.

“Wh-what do you want from me?! The gold? It’s yours! Take it, TAKE IT! Just don’t hurt me!” The man cowered away, shielding himself with the claws.

“But there hasn’t been gold in Dustop for years.” Mari defiantly said.

“Gah… are you serious?” The Bandit Leader asked, tentative as to not anger the others.

“There’s even a sign that says, ‘sans aurum’ at the front! Didn’t you read that before you got into this cave?”

“Oh, that badly written sign out there?”

“Hey, I spent a week making that!” Mari puffed her cheeks out. “It means NO GOLD, DUMMY!” the bandit groaned to himself. “I’m taking you into custody. You’re coming with me. Resistance is futile!”

“It looks like it is over.” D sighed. “This place does not look like a place for the guardians.”

“You’re right,” Lina nodded. “I guess we just better head back to town and check from there.” Lina seemed to notice something as they started toward Mari and the bandit she had in tow. “Hey, you’re already a bandit. Don’t make me catch you trying to become a pedophile, too!”

“What do you take me for, girlie?!” Came the cry as D chuckled for a fleeting moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got lucky. The mystery necklace will be revealed afterwards. Lina’s Kris won’t affect the Grenades she can’t handle. Damn that Burst All, but at least I get to steal some from him in battle. And, along with the fact that Mari’s skirts are short combined with the Bandit Leader’s usage of hands via claws, I thought it would be a good way to have fun.


	13. The Fourth Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three return to Dustop, and meet someone who is willing (maybe) to help out.

**Dustop**

“Well, I’ll be…” the sheriff said with pure amazement in his eyes as he met with the three children just outside the bar.

“We did it, dad!” Mari exclaimed, proud of her accomplishments.

“Those bandits will not be bothering you anymore,” D nodded in agreement as the sheriff held out a sack, which he shook around to signify there was quite a lot of coins in there.

“And here is your bounty. It’s not much, but it should work.” He grinned.

“Nah, we won’t be needing that.” Lina pushed the sack away, to the sheriff’s great interest. “We actually have another reason to come here.”

“Do you know anything about the Crystal Guardians?” D asked. “The Bandit Leader did not have any information for us, so I guessed that you may know something.”

“You ain’t talking about THE Guardians?!” The sheriff dropped the sack of coins in his surprise, letting the dust caress over it. “I’ve heard stories, but that’s the end of it. It’s all just sand, rock and monsters out there…”

As the sheriff scratched his head in confusion, a shadow stepped out from the space between the store and the bar, his arms crossed in front of him.

“…Those are not just any stories.” The shadow, as he stepped into the light, was the mysterious man the three had faced earlier on, although his face seemed a bit more stern now, if possible.

“I…It’s him again?!” Mari stepped back behind D.

“Ha, back for round two?” Lina challenged the man with a glance from her sapphire eyes.

“Sheriff, stay back!” D unleashed his sword before realizing he was doing it. “That purple thing is dangerous!”

“tch,” the man clicked his tongue in annoyance. “As much as I despise Dragons, I am not your enemy this time. I can lead you to your Guardians.”

“Wait,” D lowered his sword, confusion overtaking his face. “What did you say?”

“Hey, it might be a trick.” Lina cut in, keeping her eyes on the stranger still. “He might be one of Rita’s minions. You know, the one the oracle warned about.” As she was going to make a comment regarding on the man’s ears and eavesdropping, the man roared.

“HOW DARE YOU?!” His voice rung out. “RITA WILL PAY FOR HER ATROCITIES!”

“Whoa, calm down fella.” The sheriff said, trying to ease the other man’s tension. The mystery man sighed, regaining his composure.

“I know your purpose, Dragon. We… have a common enemy. I can take you to your Guardians much faster.” The stranger stared into D’s crystal eyes, as though he was trying to search for a hidden intent behind them.

“Er, what did Rita do to you?” Lina asked, this time a bit more carefully to not provoke him any further.

“tch… Do you accept my offer or not?” The man held out a hand, expecting D to take it. The Dragon thought of how they had no other leads to where the Guardians may be, and weighed it with the possibility of the man being hostile towards him. D concluded that the weight of the world won over the weight of his own life in the end.

“I guess I have no other choice,” D said as he valiantly shook the purple-skinned hand.

“Well, if we’re taking this guy with us, I’ll keep watch so he doesn’t murder you in your sleep.” Lina laughed as Mari saw the scene unfold with disbelief clearly painted over her eyes.

“Wait!” Mari called out as the others started to walk away, making D turn his head. “I know I haven’t been able to repay you for your kindness… I can also keep this guy in check if he tries to do something fishy. Please, let me come with you!”

“Was I that suspicious, I wonder?” The man said aloud, in which Lina gave him a muttered answer of “trying to kill us all before even introducing yourself”.

“But it is dangerous out there.” D tried but got an approving nod from her father behind her. “Well, if you say so.”

“Welcome to the team, Mari!” Lina smiled to the youngest.

“The Fire Guardian is in a tomb directly south of here.” The man sighed. “I will lead the way.”

“Oh, by the way, purple guy.” Lina turned her gaze toward the tallest man in the group. “I didn’t catch your name?”

“I am Kaz,” he said rather nobly. “Now let us be on our way.” It was then that D noticed something dangling from Kaz’s neck.

“Um, Kaz?” He turned with an exaspereated look in his eyes, but his gold slits widened when D held out the necklace he found at the mines. “I found this, and it looks very similar to what you have on your neck.”

“Indeed it does,” Kaz said, taking the necklace in his hands. His hands closed over the small trinket, and suddenly, a thin scythe protruded from his hand. Kaz saw the surprised looks of the others and sighed. “I… have the power to give strength, you see. It can be targeted to beings or objects other than the normal selection.” He finished the explanation in a hurry, but saw that the mystified gazes did not waver.

“Horns, purple skin, pointy ears and now, a power to make jewelry into lethal weapons.” Lina commented dryly. “Seriously, what ARE you?”

“I would keep that a secret for now,” the horned man bit back a laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW WE GET THE DEMON AT CHAPTER 13 OF ALL THINGS. Unintentional, but I think it fits him well. Kaz will be the main enhancer of the team- Guardian/Healer. And Airhacker equipped, since why not. I always got confused to where Kaz stored his weapon, so the explanation became somewhat similar to D. Fits well of him being an enhancer.
> 
> EDIT Jul 1, 2017  
> I finally realized where the heck Kaz's weapon storage idea came from. It was Cardcaptor Sakura of all things. What is wrong with my brain.


	14. The New One's Capabilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team sets off into the desert, and find that the new guy isn't that scary as he seems.

**Desert, just south of Dustop**

“Oh my tempest, this place is hot.” Lina gasped, looking around. They were in a desert area now, and the heat reflected off the sands added to the four’s struggles. “D, how the heck are you comfortable with those long sleeves on you?!”

“I am a Fire Dragon,” D said coolly. “I was practically raised like this.”

“So why do you still get hurt from Fire spells, I wonder.” Mari said, stopping the Dragon in his tracks, either from confusion or embarrassment.

“Company,” Kaz said as a mound of sand quickly approached them. He conjured up his scythe into existence- the one D gave him, of all things- and quickly parried the impact the large Dune Worm had made by emerging from the earth below. D unleashed his sword and started to hack away at the worm’s long body, but was taken by surprise as another emerged from under his feet. He did jump in time, though, so no harm was done. The second worm, frustrated of missing its target, now headed toward Lina. She threw some explosives, but it failed to stop the advance of the underground serpentine creature. It emerged inches from her and reared its head, ready to strike.

“tch,” Kaz spun around to face the space between the monster and Lina, and his eyes gleamed gold as he shouted, “ _Amua_!” and a protective barrier appeared in front of Lina. The worm’s fanged mouth bounced off the barrier and knocked back as its force was reflected back in full. Mari saw the opportunity to encase the worm in a Water spell, and D saw it happen as he finished off the worm he was facing against.

“Are you hurt, D?” Mari ran up to her friend. D looked down to see that some of his body parts were bleeding. I must have grazed it in the worm’s fangs when I wasn’t careful, D thought, and expected a healing spell in Mari’s soothing voice, but…

“ _H’Iru_.” The voice was that of a man’s. D looked around to see that Kaz was pointing at the Dragon, his hand outstretched and the glow of his arcane energy still twirling around his palms. “Don’t,” he said as D thought about thanking the mysterious man, “I don’t have much magical capabilities so I expect for you to take care of yourself from now on.”

“And here I thought you were the incarnate of Death,” Lina sighed. “Turns out, he’s a holy paladin. You’re going to end up as the literal Guardian for us if you keep this up, you know?”

“I believe I already am,” Kaz said, a playful tone hidden deep in his voice. “Now, I believe we should move. The heat is excruciating as it is already is, and I don’t want to speed it up further with more battles.”

“Logical,” D observed as blackbirds, skeletons, more worms and beings that Mari called Sphynxes approached.

“…As soon as I say that,” Kaz muttered as he drew his scythe again. “We don’t have the time for such battles!”

“I agree,” D said, and rushed to meet them. “Enhance, please!”

Lina threw a purple potion flask toward D before Kaz could speak (“Likia”), and D jumped into the air, striking the ground beneath him. A wide shockwave appeared, and cleaved all the foes that stood in their way. The rest of the team stood, gaping at the path of destruction that the Dragon had just created, while the Dragon in question landed lightly beside Mari.

“It is much quicker,” D smiled, albeit a bit tiredly. “But I cannot do it multiple times.”

“Well, if you faint,” Lina said as she fished out a white feather from the carcass of a Sphynx, “I can revive you with this.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Mari whimpered. “That’s for K.O.ed people, and I don’t want people to get hurt, especially if they’re my friends!”

“I never said anything about being friends,” Kaz grumbled. “I just have a reason to help you, is all.”

“And what may that be, I wonder?” Lina countered, but found a locked chest behind a shady area. She ran over, her Hackpick already in hand.

“I can’t say what that is,” the man said as he walked in pursuit of the thief, glad to have some protection against the scorching heat of the sands. “But you will just have to trust me.” It was then that Lina managed to open the treasure, and she came over to the rest of the group with a puzzled expression on her face. In her hands were a set of leather boots, but it was filled to the brim with metal scraps.

“This normal for any of you guys?” Lina chuckled nervously, and watched the Dragon and the gunslinger burst into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I the only one who thinks Kaz as the equivalent of Sephiroth in most of the FF7 fanmade stories? Cleave is very helpful for crowd control, especially when your attacker’s ATK isn’t so uber. The locked box in the Desert contains one Boots and ten Scrap Metal, if anyone was interested. Thank Wiki.


	15. The Fire Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team enters an ancient tomb and faces off against the first of the Crystal Guardians.

**Great Tomb, past the Desert and South of Dustop**

The four emerged from the sands and into a large, stone building. The structure was old, with stone panels with inscriptions being littered here and there, and gaping holes forming a waterfall of sand.

“Ah,” Lina sighed as they entered the building. “We’re finally out of the heat. Those sands were a killer!”

“Wowzies…” Mari gasped upon inspection of the stone tablets scattered about the place. “I never knew there was a tomb out here. This place looks ancient!” She yelped in glee as she picked out a panel from the sand.

“You are right.” D nodded as he took a closer look at the tablets himself. “I have heard that Dragons once used to live in this dimension before Humans. The markings on this panel are Dragon. I understand what they mean.”

“Oh, never heard that before,” Lina smiled and coaxed the Dragon to a wall with some panels still attached to it. “Hey, what does this one say?”

D grimaced as he read “Toilet” and the three jumped away from the vicinity of the markings.

“I can’t believe I’m stuck dealing with these idiots,” Kaz muttered to himself. “Rita… You shall pay ten times the severity of your crimes.”

“Fifty,” D nodded to answer the man’s determination, “since she made us step into the latrines, old as they are.” For a fleeting moment, D could see Kaz’s face twitch into a smile.

 

It wasn’t long until the team found themselves locked in battle with quite a few monsters. D Cleaved his way out the weaker ones while Lina attempted to Steal items from the others. Mari was doing her best to wipe the monsters away as well with her newly learnt Quake and Firewall spells. Kaz, seeing how quickly D exhausted his magical powers, gave him some blue potions they had gotten from the orange giants.

“Don’t overdo yourself,” Kaz said as he sheathed his scythe, which he named it Airhacker. “You have even less magical capabilities than me… And that’s saying quite much.”

“I agree,” D slumped on one of the crumbling walls as he caught his breath.

“Says the one who tried to explain that he’s not going to be chummy with us,” sneered Lina. “You change your mind often, huh?” Kaz ignored this and moved on.

“ _Kueik_!” Came Mari’s yell before the other three turned their head to see a serpentine woman, a bandaged mummy, a rotting corpse turning purple and the orange giant mentioned beforehands get crushed into the ceiling by a sudden appearance of a rocky plateau beneath them.

“Careful,” D warned as the spell retreated into the sandy depths. “The shock may make the whole place collapse.”

“Hope not,” Lina said as Mari whimpered and sought cover beneath Kaz’s red cape, which he let her with a groan.

 

The four reached the depths of the ruins, in an octagonal room with a familiar blue escape magic circle at the end. In front of them stood a man twice D’s height, looming over the four with inhumane eyes. He was a mix of human, a bull, and a Dragon (to D’s amazement), with all parts merged into one to form the Fire Guardian’s minotaur-like appearance.

“DRAGON,” Malloc, the Fire Guardian, roared. “WHY ARE YOU HERE?!”

“I am here to ask for the crystal you guard,” D approached Malloc courageously.

“SO YOU’RE THE ONE THEY SENT?! AN INITIATE?” His nostrils flared- literally- and covered D with small pieces of burning embers. “PATHETIC! YOU ARE WEAK! YOU AND YOUR PUNY LITTLE FRIENDS SHOULD LEAVE BEFORE I OBLITERATE YOU FOR INSULTING ME!”

“Puny?” Kaz echoed silently. Yes, Malloc was twice the Dragon’s height, but the horned man was always on the tall side, and have never been said anything like it before.

“H-hey!” Mari interrupted. “D might be puny… for you,” she added the last part quickly, noticing that she herself was the puniest of all. “But he’s not an i… ini… inisomething you said!”

“Er, Mari?” D sighed. “That is actually my rank in the Dragon realm.”

“Guess he’s not gonna give us the crystal without a fight,” Lina smirked and turned toward Kaz, her Kris unsheathed. “We’ll show this hothead what we’re made of. You in Kaz?”

“tch… I’d be delighted,” Kaz smiled (evilly, Lina observed) in response, his hand now holding his scythe.

“I will give you proof that we are not puny as we look like, Malloc!” D lunged at the Guardian, his hands now holding on to the Heatblade. He jumped, ready to Bash at Malloc, but the Guardian’s large hands swiped the Dragon away in one fluid motion.

“Fire is weak to Water!” Mari called as she shot a bolt of her Water magic, apparently trying to encase the foe in ice. The Guardian did not even flinch, though, as the magic dissipated before coming into contact with his skin.

“Fire melts Ice, Mari,” Lina said to the displeased gunslinger. “And I don’t think Fire’s gonna hurt him at all. So no grenades from me.” Just then, Mari noticed the glow around Lina’s knives had changed. Instead of the usual glow covering the curved edges, the light had taken on a new form now, more straight, like how usual knives were like.

“Keep him in place,” the thief called, in which the two males obliged. Lina crouched down, her eyes closed and one palm in the sand, as if she was charging some form of energy. It was then Malloc stomped his feet into the sands, and encased the whole room in flames. The Armor Up spell Kaz had managed to enchant the entire team with disappeared into the fire, melting away as the flames ate its way through. Mari, seeing the peril in the others’ eyes, quickly shouted “ _H’Iru Oul_!” and mended the team’s wounds as well as burn marks.

“Get back!” Lina’s voice echoed around the room, and dashed toward the Guardian. Malloc attempted to grab her by the scruff of her neck, but Lina slid beneath his legs, wind at her back and the sand whipping out behind her, and she sprung up behind the Guardian and slit her knife’s edge to his broad back. Malloc roared and crumpled, and to the others’ amazement, shrunk in size until he was about the same height as Kaz.

“…Impressive,” Malloc said as he got up from the position. “You are indeed worthy.”

“What did you just do to him?” Mari asked tentatively to the worn-out thief.

“Cursed Dagger,” Lina answered breathlessly. “Poisons and confuses the enemy. Pretty good for peeling off enchantments from powered up enemies like him, no?”

“Malloc,” D said, still unimpressed that the Guardian was still taller than him. “We are to seek the crystal! The portal from the Dargon world is being opened. I am here to stop it from happening and close it once and for all.”

“…I didn’t know that the Dragon had such a task ahead of him,” Kaz muttered.

The Guardian nodded, noting that he already knew much of the situation. “I understand, but be warned. It was that witch that did all of this in the first place.”

“Wait, Witch? Witch Rita?” Lina realized with slight shock in her face.

“Yes,” Malloc nodded. “Why don’t you explain it, Demon? I can see it in your eyes.” He said, pointing to the horned man with his chin.

“D-DEMON?!” Mari leaped away from the man she trusted, shocked by the revelation. Kaz sighed the outburst away and continued to assess the situation in place of the Fire Guardian.

“That evil witch has already started to make sure the other Guardians won’t be able to stop her plan.” Kaz said, concern in his gold slitted eyes. “She has already taken control of the Demon Necropolis and now Orrora is in danger. I… I couldn’t stop her…” With the last statement, Kaz’s hands clenched into a fist, only to be noticed by the gunslinger, who stood the closest to the Demon.

“Orrora?” D wondered aloud.

“Orrora is the Earth Guardian, and holds the Earth Crystal.” Kaz answered dryly. “Now, back to the topic at hand. Once the portal from the Dargons reach this world, the Dargon King will come and consume this world. Only the four Elemental Crystals of power can close the portal now.”

“And you know this how?” Lina asked, her eyes now focused onto the demonic horns.

“Let’s just say that the Dargons are Demons themselves,” Kaz said as he turned his face to an empty wall opposite of where most of his allies stood. He added to himself under his breath, “Although residing in different kingdoms, I have to know how the others of my kind are doing.”

“Dragon!” Malloc said, power in his voice. “Are you aware of the undertaking that you have begun? The Dargon King will stop at nothing to devour the worlds in his reach.”

“I will not stop until he has fallen!” D answered, sounding a bit like how a student answers a teacher in school, making Lina snicker softly.

“I admire your vigor, young Dragon. Very well, take this.” Malloc handed D a crystal. Although small in size, D could clearly feel the intense power emanating from the gemstome. “Combine the power of this crystal with the ones you receive from the other Guardians. Their power alone should be able to close the portal and rid this world of the Dargon threat. Now hurry and travel East, for more trials await!” He ushered the four into the blue magic circle, offering them escape.

“Thank you,” D managed before they were all teleported out into the scorching desert once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pokemon logic saves you when facing off with enemies like this. I made the Grenade mistake on my first run, and it didn’t end well. The Cursed Dagger part is legit, though. Helpful tip; counter Flame Eater with Panacea, since it clears ALL debuffs. Kaz/Orrora is proved canon, albeit one-sided.


	16. Tunnel Snakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team starts heading toward the Demon Necropolis, and the snakes in the tunnels are getting restless.

**Tunnel, Northeast of Dustop**

“Tunnel Snakes Rule?” D repeated the words etched on the walls. “What does that mean?”

“Beats me,” Lina shrugged as she knocked away a solitary Fire Bat. “But seeing that there’s no snakes here than those Gorgons, I think it’s a joke.”

“Well, their patience seems to be falling out.” Kaz said, releasing his scythe. D looked over to his guide’s unusual wording when he caught sight of a familiar mound of earth approaching them and straight at Mari, who was finishing away a crowd of fireballs with her newfound Blizzard spell. D ran over to the gunslinger, caught hold of her at the torso and jumped vertically, the emerging worm snapping just a few inches behind them.

“Thank you,” Mari gasped before turning her attention to the Dune Worm, now three of them gathered at the fray. They all now had a glowing magic circle above their maw, closing it off like a lid. Strange, rasping voices yelled out “ _Kueik_ ” from the circle. Lina, noticing that the ground was shaking, leapt up into the safety of the air from the hostile ground. It did not occur to her, however, that they were in a tunnel of all things. The rocky plateau surged from the walls and the ceiling at the same time, crushing Lina in its force.

“Lina, no!” Mari cried out, and with newfound rage, shouted out “ _Bullizardo_!” and froze the worms, followed by D who sliced them at once, ice and all.

“Lina,” D yelled as he ran toward the now crumbling rocks, coughing through the rubble and the dust. “Are you—“ He was greeted not by a limp body of his friend, but instead of a hunched figure beneath a translucent green orb. The orb vanished into the air, and the hunched figure moved. It was Kaz, covering the curled-up, pretty much alive body of Lina under his torn cape.

“Well,” Lina said as she emerged from the protective confines of the man’s cape, “thanks for the cover-up.” She coughed, taking the dust-filled air into her lungs, and started for the carcasses of the worms.

“I couldn’t just let her die,” Kaz shrugged when both the Dragon and the gunslinger shot him puzzled looks. “The Dragon would do better with her around, I presumed, and he is what I may call a glass machine gun.” He added, sighing as he did so, “That means the Dragon would be hindered of his firepower if any of his allies were to die.”

“That was _Spia_ , right?” Mari asked, ignoring the still puzzled looks of contemplation from D. “Good thinking!”

“Hey, guys?” The three turned to their blonde ally, who was holding up three rings. Circlets. “Lucky much?”

“Very,” Kaz agreed, his gold eyes widening at the sheer luck of the team. “Although, you do know where they were located prior to the worms’ defeat, right?”

“Eh, we can clean it off.” Lina shrugged as she handed one to each of the men.

“I guess snakes do rule,” D said as he found that the gauntlet and the circlet did not match well inside him, leading him to (sadly) replace the gauntlet for the circlet. “If worms are snakes, though.”

“You had to say that now?” Mari asked, shuffling nervously as several Gorgons approached their way, eyes livid. “I think they’re angry that you called them equals to worms!”

“I said you ruled, did I not?!” D sighed as he took out his blade yet again, only to find that not only his power had increased, but his magical and athletic abilities were enhanced by it too. He wondered why Mari kept it a secret all this time as he cut off the Gorgon’s cry of “ _Suton_.” Well, better off fighting than turned to stone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaz breaks the fourth wall more than Lina in this story. I do not ship these two. The “glass machine gun” is my way of saying “glass cannon but a lot faster”, perfect for a Slayer/Thief combo. And yes, I DID grind for Circlets in this area until I had a total of four. Then on the path to Necropolis, I managed to get two more of those damned things. How.


	17. A Small Breeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team decides to take a bit of rest at Port Breeze.

**Port Breeze**

The four came to a stop at a seaside town after D almost made the wrong turn at the forked path (hurried as he was, Kaz recommended the team take a rest).

“We can rest here for a bit, I guess.” D said, feeling the seaside breeze for the first time.

“Right,” Lina nodded. “We should stock up on more supplies too. I’ve got a lot of Grenades lying about, and I’m not gonna lie, we’re running out of Tonics.”

“Um, Kaz?” Mari eyed the Demon carefully out the corner of her eyes. He was restless, as if he was late for something important. His expression was grim as well. “What’s wrong?”

“…We shouldn’t waste too much time here.” Kaz said curtly. “The Earth Guardian is in danger. I know I was the one who encouraged a bit of a… breather, as you may call it, but we need to hurry as much as possible.”

“Kaz, what exactly is going on?” D asked, concern in his clear eyes.

“A coup, if you understand.” Kaz sighed with a grimace. “Rita and the betrayer Sylandra took control of the Necropolis. They ordered the lesser Demons to burn the forests and, before I was kicked away, dug a moat around the Earth Shrine- the resting place of Orrora and her Crystal- to weaken the influence of the Earth Crystal.”

“Th-that’s terrible!” Mari exclaimed.

“The area is now in ruins,” Kaz continued on. “Orrora is now defending against the horde of Demons trying to take the Crystal.”

“Hey, aren’t you a Demon too?” Lina said, a quizzical light now resting in her eyes. “Why are you helping us?”

“I have nothing but respect for Orrora,” Kaz said, and D could see the slight tinge of rose appear at the Demon’s cheeks as he said the Earth Guardian’s name. “That snake Sylandra will get what is coming to her.”

“Sure,” Mari nodded. “As long as she’s not with the tunnel ones.” The four, even Kaz, couldn’t hold back laughing at the sudden change in mood.

“All right,” D recovered, “we will need to hurry before the Demons get a hold of the Crystal.”

“Agreed.” Kaz nodded. “We will need to head South through the Spider Cave.”

“Actually,” Lina stammered. “I don’t mind resting for a little bit more…” The other three looked at her in disbelief. “What?” She retorted. “Can’t I be afraid of SOMETHING?”

“I never thought you had any fears at all, Lina,” D shook his head. “I was worried you might be something other than human.”

“Oh, speaking of ‘other than human’,” Mari changed the subject quickly as she took out something from her bag. It was a large, mechanized object, with swiveling eyes and drooped ears like a dog’s. It had arms, but no legs, as it was replaced by a ring emitting medium-sized blasts of flame. “I made him myself. His name’s Guide.” The machine beeped into life.

“You made that,” Lina stared in shock. “All by yourself? And behind our backs, to boot?!”

“Hey, I was bored!” Mari puffed her cheeks out in mock dissatisfaction. “He can’t do much right now, but I’ll figure out something!”

"And, Lina?" Kaz turned his golden eyes to the thief. "I don't mind if you don't want to trespass inside the Spider Cave, but be warned that the only other way into the Demon territory is by crossing over the mountains." He smiled evilly and added, "I have heard that the snow there is permanent."

"Well then, what're we waiting for?!" Lina got up, mock cheer in her voice, and started south.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head, D cannot swim, Lina is arachnophobic, Mari has ADD (ADHD but without the hyperactivity), and Kaz is a tsundere. Everyone has their own faults. I’m not sure how I’ll integrate Guide into the story, but I’ll try to figure it out.


	18. Arachnid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four venture through a cave filled with cobwebs, and somehow manage to rekindle their determination.

**Spider Cave**

“Ugh, I got cobweb on my face,” Lina grunted as the four walked deeper through the cave system. “This is why I hate spiders; too much sticky stuff.”

“I see no problem with that,” D said casually before his tail got caught in one of the webs and made him trip backwards and into a large silk nest.

“You were saying?” Lina chuckled as she helped ease D out of the web and patted him, working on ridding the silk off of the scales.

“Can I burn them?” D asked, vengeance gleaming in his clear eyes as it met the Demon’s gaze.

“If you wish to cover yourselves in burnt spider legs on top of what you already have on you,” he replied coolly, “then go ahead.”

“It’s not just spiders that live here,” Mari whimpered as she pointed to a group of mothlike creatures with stingers along with a swarm of small spiders, followed by larger ones.

“Mari, will you do the honors?” D asked as the infestation came closer with scuttling legs. “I am short on the magical energy left in me for a Cleave.” Mari obliged with a nod.

“ _Faiawol_!” She exclaimed, burning the wave of insects with ease.

“As I said,” Lina shook her head negatively but in a positive tone of voice, “never ceases to amaze me how much a kid can do.”

“Hey, I’m no less a kid than you, you know?!” Mari puffed. “And Kaz, stop laughing!”

“Was I?” Kaz covered his mouth with the knuckles of his hands. “I apologize, milady.” Mari seemed to be content with that answer as she continued onwards, burning the hostile mobs of insectoids.

“So,” Lina started to D, “I heard the Demon Necropolis is supposed to be a kingdom for Demons, or something.” Her eyes smiled by itself. “And also that it’s supposed to be dark and gloomy, also scary. I can’t wait!”

“It is more of a stronghold than a kingdom.” Kaz said, his eyes cast away from his intended listener.

“But the area just outside this cave is supposed to be full of lush forests teeming with life, right?” Mari asked. “That’s what I’ve heard. I hope Miss Orrora is alright.”

“I wonder what the Earth Guardian looks like,” D wondered aloud, “if Malloc was like that. Maybe she looks like a bird?”

“Or maybe really pretty, judging by how Kaz mentions her name.” Lina giggled, earning her a hard stare from the Demon. “Oh hey, there’s the exit!” Lina escaped the tension of the Demon by running into the light at the end of the tunnel, Mari at her heels, leaving D and Kaz in the dust.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Kaz notified D as the girls rushed over to the exit, basking in the light before the men. “I am helping Orrora. I do not care about you, or your quest.”

“I know,” D sighed, to Kaz’s surprise. “I have learned to enjoy things while it last. I believe you will leave us when we finish helping you? When that time comes, will you leave us with the locations of the rest of the Guardians so I can continue to save the world?”

“You are adamant,” the Demon noted as the two finally reached the exit. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shortest chapter ever? Maybe. I just wanted to set up the foundations on Kaz’s personality as well as his reason to cooperate, and that D could be a tactician. Or maybe it’s just because D/Kaz is mah OTP. Deal with it.


	19. Dead Trees and Giant Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team reaches their midway point on their journey to the Demon Necropolis.

**Dead Forest, after passing the Barrens and the Swamp**

It was bad enough that the four went over deadlands when it was supposed to be a lush area, but what made it worse were signs of the forest still struggling to survive even after being burnt to the ground.

“Oh,” Mari gasped, tears starting to form at her eyes. “This is terrible… I can’t believe what they did to the forest.”

“So all of this,” D gestured to the barren world splayed around him, anger bubbling in his chest as he took in every inch of the area, “was this Rita’s doing? Why would she aid the Dargons in opening the portal? Does she not know of the horrible things Dargons are capable of in the first place?!” His voice rose from the rage, and attracted a bit of monsters. Lina tried to subdue him, but he just unleashed his sword and Cleaved everything that came at him. He turned around, face contoured by rage as he did so. Lina vowed silently in her mind to never make a Dragon angry. “Well?!”

“I can’t talk when you’re hyper like this, D.” Lina subdued the Dragon to the best of her abilities. “Rita had played around with Dargons long before this, so she probably has a good idea on what they can do.” Quickly she added, “we have to stop her before she gets what she wants.” The rest of the team nodded, taking the cue.

“The Necropolis should be further ahead,” Kaz commented.

 

“So,” Mari asked D casually, “what kind of monsters did you fight so far here?”

“Hm?” D turned to Mari, his rage now mostly gone. “Well, I remember a small red thing, a dog with lots of heads, the large spiders and moths from the cave, a wolf thing…” He counted off using his hands. “…a red orc, a pink flower, and a tree stump.” He looked at Mari, puzzled. “Why ask?”

“Ta-da!” Mari took out Guide from behind her back. “I reprogrammed him so he would watch our battles and take note on the monsters!”

“So it is a bestiary?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” Mari released the robot, and it soared into the sky until it was just a speck off into the distance. “I made it so that you can access the databanks from the Hackpick, too!”

“Holy tornadoes, when’d you do that of all things?!” Lina exclaimed, swiftly took out the Hackpick and controlled it. D could see that the screen was now able to change into a book, pages and all, except without using ink and paper.

“Neat, right?” Mari smiled with pleasure of surprising her friends.

“…How does it respond to a new specimen?” Kaz asked, his tone grave as he did so.

“Oh, it just enters on the Bestiary like any other monster, although I get to name it afterwards.” Mari smiled. “Why do you ask?”

Her smile dropped when she saw that Kaz was pointing at an oversized flower, more bulb than floral, with tentacle-like vines protruding from its sides.

“It… doesn’t respond to them when it’s alive,” Mari stammered, “so we have to beat it first if we want to know more about the thing!”

“Well, it IS a plant,” Lina observed. “Fire should work.”

“I will do my best as the Fire Dragon.” D nodded, unleashing his sword. Thanks to Mari’s efforts of strengthening the blade, D’s weapon now shone brightly, creating small heat hazes as it sliced the air. The blade itself seemed to morph more, snaking this way and that until it rested. Mari took her pistols out of their designated holsters as well, the two barrels now gleaming crimson.

“ _Majia_ ,” Kaz cast the spell as he nimbly dodged the onslaught of vines, cloaking Mari with a crystalline light, enhancing her arcane powers further as she crossed her pistols over her chest, charging up power. The vines, having missed its target, now headed toward Lina. She saw the vines approach her at breakneck speed, but did not falter. She simply leapt onto one of the thicker vines and started toward the source, throwing enchanted Grenades when she did.

“D,” Lina called out, “can you stop this guy?!”

“Already done,” D yelled triumphantly as he landed four hits in a single Barrage, each having his full force behind it. The Dragon watched with realization as the vines continued to snake toward him. “Scratch that, It is not moving from the start!” D was left defenceless as the vines curled up around his body, tugging at his limbs, slowly toward the source.

“How do you stop an object that isn’t moving,” Kaz questioned as the plantlife gaped its maw wide, showing rows upon rows of tiny teeth, ready to rip apart anything the vines caught hold of.

“You don’t,” came the reply as Mari aimed both of her barrels straight into the flower’s mouth and pulled the trigger, the impact of the shot blasting all of its petals away. “Headshot,” Mari said happily as she blew on the smoking tip of her pistol.

“Well, that was unpleasant.” D muttered, hands resting on his tail after directing his sword into his scales. “My tail got pulled on, and it is still hurting.”

“Don’t expect me to heal that for you, Dragon.” Kaz sighed as he took a look at Lina’s Hackpick.

“Huh, it’s a new species, just like you said.” Lina exclaimed, the tiny screen filling with jumbled code before the data came up. “And it has the same genetic makeup as a lotus flower.”

“Geneti…?” D mumbled, trying to figure out the meaning of the words.

“So basically it was a giant lotus,” Mari sighed as the name “Giant Lotus” appeared on top of the picture. “Why was it out of the water?”

The four stood in silence for a moment before Kaz spoke up. “We still have to get to the Necropolis. Demons become more active- and hostile- at night, so we better hurry.” They nodded in agreement and walked away toward the dark structure looming before them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We needed some action there, okay? D now has a Heatblade level two, and Mari a Rune Shifter level two. About Kaz’s weapon- he will not be receiving upgrades to his weapon until the kidnapping part of the game story. Topaz is so hard to obtain, but I will give a hint on what the Demon’s new weapon will be further in the story; it raises Speed.


	20. Return of the Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team reaches the Demon Necropolis.

**Demon Necropolis, after passing through Bog**

“As I have said before, the Necropolis is a stronghold for Demonkind,” Kaz explained as the four approached the large, eerie black walls that encircled the fortlike structure. “There’s an emergency escape route known only to little that we can use to infiltrate. Follow me,” the man said, his fist on his necklace the entire time.

“Infiltrate sounds evil,” Mari whined. “Can’t we just enter the place from the entrance?”

“Do you think they’ll let us in like that, Mari?” Lina whispered in a hurried, hushed tone. “Remember, they kicked Kaz out.”

“Oh, yeah.” Mari said, frowning as she said that. “Can’t we be all friends?”

“I am afraid not,” D answered, trying hard not to let the frustration of the inconvenience get to him like it did back at the burnt forest.

“Rise three, across five… Here we are,” Kaz lifted a small pile of leaves from below his feet, revealing a trapdoor. The Demon opened it and went down the ladders that extended below the surface of the ground.

 

“This passageway will lead us into the center of the Necropolis,” Kaz explained as he lit the way using his arcane powers, “where Sylandra will most probably be.”

“You seem to know a lot of the place,” D nodded, looking behind him every few steps to make sure they weren’t being pursued by anyone.

“A tad too much, from what I can tell.” Lina said, her eyes quizzical now. “I really don’t think normal people should know the location of the equivalent of the royal family’s secret passageways, right?” Her sneer was now present in her voice, and Kaz flinched for a moment before resuming to lead the way. “Seriously, who are you?”

“All in due time,” the man said as they reached a ladder at the end of the corridor. The four climbed up, opened the exit, and found themselves inside what seemed like a castle, with statues of fallen angels and red velvet carpets strewn around. As D hoisted himself up onto the stone floor, a sensual voice laughed, emanating out of nowhere.

“Ssoo, the fallen prince hasss returned!” The voice, which D could identify as a female, laughed, her hissing voice ringing in his enhanced hearing.

“Sylandra,” Kaz shouted, his usually indifferent face now forged into one of hatred, “You end this little act, now!”

“Prince?” The other three stared in wonder at the Demon.

“I’ve come here to get rid of you and your pathetic witch once and for all,” He cried out in anguish, “now show yourself!”

“Oh, is that what you told your little friends?” Sylandra’s voice crooned. “Come on, darling… come to me and tell me how you really feel! Ahahaha!”

“I did not know you were the prince, Kaz.” D approached Kaz, Sylandra’s voice still stuck to his ears.

“Does it matter right now, Dragon?” The prince growled, his scythe already in his hands.

“I guess not,” D agreed and took out his blade, eyeing the swarm of monsters that approached the four of them, quite likely being summoned there by the villainous woman.

“Let’s take back what’s yours, your highness,” Lina smiled as she readied her Kris in her gloved hands.

“Yep,” Mari nodded, taking out her pistols skillfully. “Down with THE MAN!”

“Woman,” the other three corrected her simultaneously as they all shot out in different directions to lay waste against the miniature army.

 

It wasn’t long before the four trampled demonic creatures (these included Lamias, Succubi, Skeletons, Minotaurs and more) and stormed into the throne room. On the luxurious gold and velvet throne sat a beautiful but evil-looking woman, her hair bundles of snakes, and her lower body turning into a serpent from the navel down.

“Ahh, you’re finally here…” The woman sighed, writhing in the seat. “You’ve been out for sso long, I’ve been ssooo lonely.”

“I will see to it personally that your little reign will end right now, Sylandra,” Kaz retorted, his voice harsh compared to the woman’s, “and I will end it with my own two hands.”

“Oh, you little devil,” Sylandra said soothingly but her voice dripped venom, “And what happensss when I’m gone? Are you going to take back your throne and kill all of your little friends?”

“Kaz would never do that,” Mari interrupted. “He’s not evil like you!”

“Oh.. If only you knew, little girl,” She sighed, this time in simple displeasure, “Demonss can never be trusted.”

“Well, he’s no ordinary Demon,” Lina retorted, her tongue still sharp as ever, “He’s the Demon Prince. And an official one at that, unlike you, who stole his spot.” She seemed to be quite knowledgeable when it came to royal families and the relationships they had, D thought.

“Yeah,” Mari tried to add but couldn’t find the words, “that means he’s… well, taller, or something!”

“We will take you down,” D said in his most lethal tone, “you snake… woman… thing!”

“I guesss thisss little prince got a little desssperate,” Sylandra rolled her eyes. “You look really cute with all your pretty friendsss!”

“You will learn not to underestimate their power, my dear Sylandra,” Kaz mocked the snake with a smooth voice of his.

“Shall we?” D asked, gripping the hilt of his blade more tightly now.

Kaz only nodded and said “ _Likia_ ” in response, allowing D to charge his power into the weapon. Lina throttled at the snake, who had at that point slid fluidly out of the seat to assume a combat stance. Mari cast “ _Faia Tsu_!” and Sylandra’s body exploded into a column of fire. When the fire died down though, she was still standing there with a smirk on her face. The snake suddenly bent over, exposing much of her well-endowed chest toward the Dragon, and blew a kiss. For a moment, D forgot that she was the enemy. He only longed for her, and started to walk toward her, until…

“Snap _out_ of it, D!” D was whacked on his head by Kaz wielding the blunt end of his scythe. “Letting a melee attacker stay confused is like giving the enemy the ropes of a guillotine while our necks are in there,” he mused as he got back to aiding the thief and the gunslinger, casting protective spells to lessen the damage. They were holding out fine, but was fighting a losing battle due to D’s lack of actions.

“Did he just call me by my name?” D wondered before shaking himself out of the thought to focus. His concentration formed a large, pale magic circle in front of him toward Sylandra. A small rift that connects his human body to one of the draconic powers he held within. He opened his eyes, ready to unleash his strength, when he saw his allies all being tossed aside, their bodies stone. Something snapped inside the young Dragon.

“YOU WILL PAY, SYLANDRAAAAAA!!!!” D shouted with all his might, and the magic circle responded, glowing brighter. Something like a sonic boom swept the room, taking Sylandra away until her body struck one of the walls, unconscious. D gasped for air, surprised he could muster something that powerful himself, then took out a yellow vial and threw it on the ground where his allies laid. The stone covering them crumbled, leaving D’s otherwise healthy allies coughing up dust. Kaz simply patted away the dust, retrieved his scythe, and walked over to Sylandra, who woke up with a sharp blade to her neck.

“Traitor!” She screamed. “You know only too well what you have done, yet you ssstill do it?! You are lesssss royalty than myssself, Kazensha!”

“I know,” Kaz nodded. “You will never hurt Orrora again.” With that, he released Sylandra’s throat from the confines of his scythe’s edge, but sliced at the ground instead. A dark void appeared beneath the snake’s body, and shadowy hands grabbed her as she screamed in terror. “Send my regards to my uncle, will you?” The Demon turned around to his comrades as Sylandra sunk into the Underworld.

“T-traitor?” D said, recovering from the shock of seeing what the Demon Prince could really do. “What did she mean?”

“Without a leader,” Kaz started to explain, “lesser Demons- the ones like we fought up to this point- are free from any control, making them much weaker. They will not be a threat to Orrora any longer.”

“So, you’re not taking back your kingdom, Prince?” Lina said, her usually cheerful demeanor frozen from being petrified.

“No,” the horned man sighed. “This isn’t my place to be anymore. I have done what I can.”

“Kaz…?” Mari walked over to him gently. “What are you going to do now? You have nowhere to go now…”

“I plan to visit Orrora one last time,” Kaz said with resolution. “I believe she has something for you, Dragon.”

“Right,” D nodded. It was then that Lina finally managed to find her cheer.

“Kaz doesn’t sound so noble for me,” she said with her usual sneer when she made an amusing joke of some kinds. “What’s your full name, I wonder?”

The prince weighed the options for a moment, shook his head while muttering something similar to “Oh, hell be it” and turned to meet the thief’s gaze with an emotion similar to laughter in his gold eyes.

“I am Prince Kazensha Luciferio Beelzebub Belialis de Brimstone the Fourth,” he said in a single breath and with an accomplished smile, leaving the other three with greater shock than one of Sylandra’s death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lovesick. Only used by feminine foes like Succubus and Lamia, yet Lina and Mari is affected by it too. Fun. Dragon’s Roar became epic in this chapter. Kaz’s name is original, but is based on the biggest, baddest demons I could lay my eyes on. Anyone who plays Binding of Isaac may catch on quickly.


	21. The Earth Crystal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four go to fetch the Earth Crystal from its Guardian.

**Earth Shrine, Slightly Southwest of the Necropolis**

The Shrine wasn’t much of a shrine, but a small den covered in foliage and vines, protected like a sanctuary inside the dead vegetation that scattered around them. Kaz approached the said den and knocked the blunt end of his scythe three times on a nearby rock before retracting it into his necklace.

“Hello, Kaz!” Out of the small Shrine came out a woman dressed in a literal leafy dress. Her skin was deeply tanned, the color of the earth. Her fluffy platinum hair was tied in a ponytail, held by a red band. As D saw the Earth Guardian’s kind smile, he thought to himself that maybe Kaz was justified to have a “crush” on her.

“…This Dragon wanted to see you.” Kaz said, allowing access to his ally and stepping away.

“Ah, you brought a friend?” Orrora turned, her smile never wavering.

“Hello. I am D.” D bowed in a proper manner.

“Nice to meet you, D. I am Orrora.” Orrora bowed back, making the young Dragon puzzled as to how she can see with her eyes closed. “I assume you are here for the Crystal of Earth?”

“Yes,” D nodded.

“Here you go.” Orrora took out a green crystal from the inside of her humble den, and presented it to the Dragon. This one, unlike the Fire Crystal, was emitting kind energy, mellowing his senses.

“Wait, just like that?” Lina questioned. “No proving ourselves or anything?”

“Oh, did Malloc do that again?” Orrora giggled. “He probably just wanted to play with you, D.”

“It was a bit rough to be called ‘playing’, I think.” D sighed as he fell into remembrance of the fight.

“Um, Miss Orrora?” Mari approached the Guardian timidly. “I… I’m sorry about your forest.”

“Oh, it’s not your fault,” Orrora soothed Mari by patting her on the head. “Don’t worry, we’ll find a way to repair it. It will grow back eventually, thanks to you.”

“I-is that true?” Mari’s face brightened.

“Sure it is,” Orrora petted the top of the young girl’s head.

“WHY DO YOU ALWAYS SAY THAT?!” The roar, unexpectedly, came from Kaz. Mari jumped in her boots from surprise, but the Earth Guardian only mildly turned her head to the notion.

“Say what, Kaz?” The Guardian smiled.

“Why do you say that everything is okay?!” The Prince fumed on. “It was my incompetence that led this to happen! If it weren’t for me…!” He ground his greaves into the muddy earth, looking at it with anger and confusion, unable to point out the true culprit. Orrora left Mari’s side to stand in front of Kaz, looking up at him from below due to the height difference.

“Kaz?” The Demon stood in silence, but flinched as the Guardian’s hand caressed his cheeks in a comforting manner. “Thank you,” she whispered, her smile never fading her face.

“Hey, look… He’s blushing,” Lina excitedly pointed out in silence where Kaz wouldn’t pick up the commotion. “Never knew he could make a face like that.”

“Now,” Orrora said as she left the Demon’s side and back to the entrance of her den, “I have another favor to ask of you. Please accompany D on his journey.”

“But what of the forest?” Kaz asked, his face still tinged rose.

“Don’t worry, I have everything here under control.”

“I understand,” Kaz said as he moved back.

“D…” The Dragon was caught off his guard when he was addressed. “Your next Crystal is up North. Good luck on your journey,” she waved to the group in general.

“Thank you,” D replied, but just before the group left the area, slowly let the Earth Crystal touch the ground beneath their feet. From where the Crystal made contact, grass started to shoot out so fast that it surprised everyone.

“Why didn’t she fight back if the Crystal has this much power?” Lina wondered aloud. “I mean, not every monster here is immune to Earth magic, right?”

“Orrora is… too kind,” Kaz answered in place, “so she prefers pacifism and peace. Though I won’t call her attempts to save herself ‘pacifism’.”

“I know how that feels,” D winced as he remembered his encounter in the forest. Not much time had passed from there, but he felt like weeks had went on between those events. “I did not want to beat up that gargantuan monster.”

“Um, Kaz?” Mari tugged lightly at the man’s cape. “Do you know how North we’re supposed to go?”

“We are not far from it,” he replied shortly. “We just need to reach a bridge from Port Breeze into the northern area of the continent. It’s located in a populated area, no less.”

“Oh hey, you’re talking about the Wind Crystal!” Lina looked up, to everyone’s surprise. “Don’t worry, I’ve got that all covered. I can lead you guys to the Crystal this time, okay?”

“…How do you know more about this Crystal than anything else, Lina?” D asked, utterly confused.

“Let’s just say I grew up around it,” Lina scratched her head sheepishly. “Now come on, we don’t want the Dargon to pile in on us!”

“True,” the men nodded in unison as the blonde thief ran in the direction of the port.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I have nothing to write about, let’s talk spells. The basic combat spells are just spelled incorrectly but should sound similar to their counterparts. Enhance spells, however… I use how Japanese characters are read for the trait being enhanced. i.e. “Strength, power” kanji in Japanese may be read as Liki. Thus, Liki and A combined to show it’s being raised. Debuffs are characters plus “da”. Attack Down will be Likida, and stuff like that.


	22. Interlude on the Crystal Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short conversation is held while heading North.

**Crystal Bridge, slightly North of Port Breeze**

"So, does D stand for something?" Lina casually asked the Dragon, playfully stepping on the largest rocks that cobbled the path across the river. "Like, your real name?"

"Yes actually," D replied. "My name is Draconias, but I did not want you all to be afraid of the fact that I was a Dragon back then."

"Oh, that's a nice name!" Mari exclaimed, trying to follow the path Lina was taking but giving up on the process, "Should we call you Draco from now on or something?"

"No, D suits me fine," D smiled, then turned his attention to the horde of enemies headed their way.

The four walked across the cobblestone bridge, fighting birds, frogs, turtles and crabs when they came to meet them in combat.

“These guys are getting weaker,” Lina commented as the team cut through a certain horde of bandits as while doing so. “Either that or we’re getting crazy powerful.”

“It might be from the Crystals we own,” Mari chimed in. “Just maybe.”

“Then I wonder what would happen to us when we obtain the third,” Kaz said, a smile forming on his lips. After being assured that he would be traveling with the three others by Orrora, he seemed to loosen up to a certain degree, and have become very helpful to the others. He received no response from the Dragon, and turned his gaze onto D. He seemed to be contemperating something.

“Hey, D,” Lina said, waving her hand right in front of the Dragon’s face to make sure he was still conscious. “So what are you going to do when this is all over? Are you going to return to your world?”

“I…” D turned his face away from the others, dropping his clear eyes to the waters below the bridge. “I can never return to my world again…”

“What?!” The cry came from all the other three comrades, all of their faces frozen.

“So you’re stuck here?!” Lina shook her head in disbelief. “You never told us that!”

“Yes,” D shook his head in response, his filled with sadness. “I did not want you to get worried. Our portal only goes one way, and I was chosen…” He also noted in his head that there were only two beings that could open the rift between worlds; he had to eliminate one of those choices, and the other was his adoptive grandfather, the Elder Dragon.

“That must be terrible,” Mari sniffled, the sad atmosphere getting to her. “Not being able to see your family again…”

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Lina comforted D, who had traces of tears now welling up at the ends of his eyes. “You’ll like it here. This’ll be your new home, and you already have friends like us to keep you company, right?”

“It will take some time to get used to,” Kaz nodded in agreement.

“You’ll see Crystalia soon!” Lina said, making the Dragon wonder what that was. “It’s a huge place! There’s lots of sights to see there too!”

“Thanks,” D managed to say, touched by how much his allies were caring for him.

“On that note,” Kaz said with a wry smile. “This bridge leads us to the said Crystalia, and is named Crystal Bridge. Funny how it is made from just stone.”

The other three burst out laughing as Kaz led them across, humming as he went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaz likes J-Pop. Pappara Lalulali, Buriki no Dance! (cookie for anyone who recognizes the song)


	23. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D finds himself alone again, but worse. He's alone with Phoebe.

**Crystalia**

“Welcome to the beautiful floating kingdom of Crystalia, home to the Crystal of Power!” Lina gestured to their surroundings. They had crossed a rather unsecured bridge to reach the edges of the castle town. “It’s floating because the ground here is enchanted by that Crystal so it stays safe. Not much earthquakes,” she laughed as her companions stared at the entire landscape in awe.

“Wow,” D said, having never seen an actual human kingdom in his life. “This place is huge!”

“Tch… It’s bright and full of people,” Kaz said, clearly distressed. “Why are all the townspeople staring at me?”

“Maybe they haven’t seen a Demon before,” Lina looked around, meeting the gazes of the onlookers as she did. “Even more so, a Demon Prince.”

“Maybe I will buy a hooded robe when I have time,” the Prince mumbled.

“Well,” D notified the team as they reached a large fountain at the center of town, “we should start asking around for information about the Wind Guardian. We should probably split up, so we can cover as much area as we can.”

“Hey, good thinking!” Lina exclaimed, her hand slightly sliding on the stone fringes of the large water fountain. “We can meet right back here at sunset. This guy lights up at night, so it’ll be hard to miss.”

“Hey Kaz,” Mari said excitedly, tugging on the man’s cape. “Come with me, I want to check out the magic shops here!”

“Hmph, if it would stop these people from staring.” Kaz simply sighed, accepting the gunslinger’s offer.

“Coolio! We’ll see you guys later, okay?” She sped off into a shop with a magical circle on its sign, followed by Kaz, who seemed to be in no hurry at all.

“Well then, I have a pretty good idea where to get info,” Lina said as she turned to D. “That leaves you off on your own, D. Sure you won’t get lost?”

“I will try,” he nodded as Lina ran off, melting into the crowd of people around them.

 

“Maybe the taverns would be a good call,” D thought aloud to himself as he walked into the large building with the sign “BAR” at the top. “Someone should know something about the Guardian here.” He heard the door open behind him, but paid no mind until the voice clearly addressed him.

“YOU!”

“Eh?” D froze, recognizing the voice.

“YOUUUU!!!”

D turned around, finding the familiar rose hair of Phoebe behind him. Her face did not change from her normal mischievous grin, but it had a menacing aura around her.

“WHERE IS GREEN GIRL?!” Phoebe half-shouted into D’s face, “SHE VIOLATED MERCENARY INC PROTOCOL 6.78! ‘YOU WILL NOT ACCEPT A MISSION WITHOUT NOTIFYING MERCENARY INC HEADQUARTERS’!”

“Green girl… you mean Lina?” D saked, his mind wondering around who in the world made up those protocols.

“ALRIGHT, I’M HOLDING YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR HER CRIMES, TAILBOY.” The hammer wielder said, grabbing ahold of D’s tail by the tip, hand firm against the scales. “YOU’RE GONNA ACCOMPANY ME ON MY NEXT MISSION!”

“Wait, what?!” D sputtered. “I have to ask around for…”

“ARE YOU RESISTING?” Phoebe smiled, her eyes now grinning with malicious intents. “IF YOU ARE, I’M GONNA HAVE TO BOP YOU OVER YOUR HEAD.”

“Okay, okay!” D said rather hurriedly. “I am not resisting! Let us hurry.”

“WOOO!” Phoebe yelled out her familiar battle whoop. “COME WITH ME, PLEASE. WE NEED TO ANSWER A DISTRESS CALL AT THE WATCHTOWER JIST WEST OF HERE.”

“This better be quick,” D mumbled to himself as he followed Phoebe outside of the kingdom’s boundaries, apologizing silently in his head to his friends for not holding up his side of the promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I was shocked when I wasn’t getting used to the story. Press Skip at the top right corner, and watch your irreplaceable friends turn into that redhead of horrifying hammers. Well, at least I had Start Agility on me. Speaking of that… (Grins evilly as revising the next chapter)


	24. Return of the Cow Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D finds a familiar face atop the Light Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> D's equipment right now-  
> Heatblade level two  
> Circlet  
> Start Agility

**Light Tower, West of Crystalia**

D secured his new equipment on his head. This one, a single white feather accessorizing a chained gold ring large enough to fit him on his head like a bandanna, had magical capabilities that allowed D to move more quickly than the normal eyes could see. It also, for some reason, refused to enter D’s scales (maybe because of the feather), so he had to wear it physically. It worked, so he didn’t mind it even when Phoebe laughed about him looking like a chicken.

The two pressed onwards, slashing and bopping their way into cat-like humanoids that Phoebe called “Gnolls”, yellow Wind Slimes, and more birds as well as rogue bandits. Phoebe, seeing how much the swordsman had grown, took on the role of supporting him with enhancement flasks he’d secured throughout his journeys. Soon they were at the top of the tower, and D faced a familiar figure standing in the center of the room, swinging his club this way and that, smashing the walls away. The place now had a nice view of the ocean stretched out below them.

“ALRIGHT, COWIE!” Phoebe yelled, her voice ringing in what was left of the confines of the room. “GIVE UP NOW OR EAT MY HAMMER!”

“Oh, hey!” the voice guffawed from its gaping mouth.

“Ah…” D sighed, bored of the events he was going through. “The cow monster again.”

“I tolds ya I ain’t no cow monster!” The beast fumed. “I’m a hippo!”

“What are you doing this time?” D asked, puzzled of the monster’s intentions on why in the name of drakes was he attacking a light tower.

“Welp, Bop told me to do something sinister here in the watchtower…” D pondered in his head for a moment before Phoebe told him that Bop was the feline monster’s name- the one he faced at the small bridge near Smalltown. “I forgot what, but I’m sure you won’t stop me, Mercenary Inc!”

With a guttal roar, the beast (named Rock, according to Phoebe) charged at the Dragon. For a moment, the feathered ring on D’s head emitted a faint glow, then blurred out of the monster’s sight. Rock turned in place, confused to where the Dragon have disappeared to, then spun around to meet Phoebe’s hammer along with D’s sword with its club. The beast was strong, throwing off the two with relative ease across the room.

“Phoebe,” D called out to his rose-haired companion. She nodded, and cast “ _LIKIA OUL_!”, cradling both of them in a fiery light. D took out a Grenade in his hands, gleaming dully in the spell’s light. Phoebe bashed her hammer into the monster’s head, immobilizing it.

“NOW, TAILBOY!” She yelled, and D made for his target, the bomb still in his hands. Rock had barely any time to react as the Dragon did a mid-air spinning lariat with the bomb, igniting it with the sheer heat of his power onto the monster’s face. Phoebe looked on, slightly concerned for the Dragon as he took the explosion unto himself. When the smoke cleared, though, D was standing unscathed, maybe due to him actually being a Fire Dragon, with Rock lying facedown on the stone floor. She was surprised to see the monster sit up, laughing happily.

“I did good,” Rock laughed as he stood up.

“W-what do you mean you did good?” D asked, confused of the monster’s strange behavior. “We just beat you.”

“Wells, I remembered what I’s to do now, thanks to that boom,” Rock scratched his head, making D feel a twinge of guilt as he was the one who actually helped the monster. The next thing Rock said did more damage than any of his swinging clubs may have done, though. “I’s bring Mercenary Inc here, so we’s can kidnap the princess in the castle!”

“Wait, what?” D couldn’t believe his ears the moment he heard that.

“Oops,” Rock covered his wide mouth with both of his hands, letting the wooden club fall onto the ground. “Bad! I’s not supposed to tell!” He ran away, thundering along until the two stopped hearing his footsteps any more.

“Uh,” D raised one of his brows. “What was that?”

“WHOOPS!” Phoebe now had true colors of worry in her usually cheerful face. She swung her hammer in a circular motion, etching a magic circle as she did. When the circle was complete, she yelled into it, making D realize that it was supposed to be a form of communication with faraway recipients. “TRISTAM, CODE RED!” Phoebe said, one hand beside her mouth to amplify her already loud voice, “WE HAVE A PROBLEM!”

“What is it this time, Phoebe?” D asked tentatively.

“NO TIME,” Phoebe said as she pushed D into the escape magic circle at the end of the room, “GO BACK TO CRYSTALIA FOR NOW!” She waved as she sent the young Dragon back to the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Start Agility is god when you get to this part, because you can just let Cleave do its magic without anything holding you back. Search “DQ4 Male Hero” on Google Images to get an idea of how D looked like. Grenades increase in power according to the ATK stat, of all things. If you can’t imagine the lariat, try to think of a professional volleyball spike. Just that the player is D, and the ball is the grenade. Actually, can someone draw a fanart of that?


	25. The Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D meets the lady of the kingdom, and finds out something terrible.

**Crystalia**

“So the cow monster was not lying,” D muttered as he entered the kingdom and toward the water fountain. He passed by the entrance to the castle as he did, and was surprised at a column of black smoke rising from one of the upper floor walls of the building. “The guards are on alert, too,” D noted. He was cut off his train of thought when a familiar, silver-haired man approached him.

“Dragon,” Tristam nodded, his tone grave.

“Old Tristam!” D found himself calling him that, to the young Dragon’s surprise. “What is going on?”

“You might want to go inside the castle. I’ve noted the soldiers that you will be visiting.” Tristam sighed and straightened his posture. “I have to go and prepare. I’ll see you soon.” With that, the man walked away into the general din of the passersby.

“…What was that about?” D questioned himself, then proceeded toward the castle gates. The soldiers tried to block D’s path by crossing their spears together, but upon seeing D’s face closer (or by noticing his tail), suddenly sprung back into their original positions and saluted the youth, letting him enter without complaints.

“Hello?” D called out to the empty grand halls of the castle, still pondering what in the world Tristam had told the guards outside, when a lithe figure appeared out the corner of one of the hallways.

“Dragon!” The figure said hurriedly. “I need your attention.”

“Eh?!” D was taken aback by surprise, but examined the figure standing in front of him. It was a woman, clad in a flowing gold and silver dress. Her long blonde hair was held in place by a tiara adorned with periwinkle gemstones, bringing out the deep glimmer of her blue eyes.

“I am Princess Namina Highwinds Crystalia,” she bowed elegantly but quickly, and continued, “I am also the Guardian of the Wind Crystal. Dragon, your friend Lina is in danger!”

“What?!” D’s eyes widened at the mention of his friend.

“Witch Rita infiltrated the castle quarters earlier today,” the Princess said, while D remembered the column of smoke outside. “She wanted to…” The rest of her speech was cut short as a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious red robes came bounding down toward them.

“Oohhh, I’m glad you’re alright, my sweet daughter!” The man embraced his daughter tightly, earning him a low groan from deep within the Princess’ throat. He must be the King, D thought, if his daughter is the Princess. “I’m so glad that weird Mercenary Inc guy was able to thwart her off…” He continued, his eyes welling with tears of gratitude.

“Not now, father,” Princess Namina said indifferently. “I am talking to a guest.”

“Oh, I see!” The King turned his eyes at D, who flinched as he took into account he was being seen by the greatest man in this kingdom. “Are you one of those Mercenary Inc guys? Thank you, really, for your help!”

“No, I…” D tried to resist but the King heeded him no mind as he bounded off into the distance.

“…As I was saying,” the Princess resumed with a small cough, “Rita took your friend Lina instead of me. The Wind Crystal is sealed at the top of Wind Tower, and requires the power of the Guardian to unlock its bonds. If she finds out that she’s got the wrong one…”

“Lina’s life is in danger,” D finished the sentence, fear and realization dawning on him. “I have to hurry and save her!”

“The Wind Tower is located on the highlands East of here,” Princess Namina said, her face stern. “Run like the wind, Dragon! I bid you good luck.”

“Thank you,” D said as he hurried on outside, but the King stopped him in his tracks when he muttered something that caught the Dragon’s attention.

“I sure hope those Mercenary Inc guys were there when my youngest got kidnapped,” the King sighed. “I miss her so much… Where are you now, my little Lamina?”

“Lamina?” D echoed, shrugged the thought aside, and headed East toward where his friend was being held.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you may know what I’m trying to aim for now. I didn’t like the King’s rambling on about chicken, so I cut that part out. Sorry if anyone was looking forward to that part.


	26. Reuben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D finds himself lost and with a new ally.

**Lakeside, slightly East of Crystalia**

D slashed through the terra colored armored figure standing in front of him with ease as he walked East toward the Wind Tower. There were other creatures too, but he only had Lina’s safety in his mind.

“Argh!” D roared, frustration clear in his voice. “I am lost, again! These trees look all the same…” He cast his eyes to his feet, sobering from the blind rage. “I hope Lina is safe…”

“You there!” A young male voice rung out from atop one of the trees, making D turn around in surprise. “You seem to be in a hurry!”

“Wh-who is there?!” D stammered, confusion getting the best of him as he tightened his grip on Heatblade.

“I am the slithering cold that seeps into the hearts of women,” the voice said as it lowered in its position from the top of the foliage to the ground, “the first snowflake that falls in winter,” a shadow moved beside one of the tree trunks, “the cold waters of the deep sea!”

The shadow came into light, and for the first time, D could clearly see who was talking. It was a young man, clad in a blue shirt with a white jacket tied around his waist. The youthful auburn hair clashed with the silver beard he sported, though. “I am Reuben, the white knight.”

“…Eh?” D cocked his head, confused of the man and his sudden appearance.

“No monster shall pass through this forest without my permission,” Reuben said, his hands reaching out to show that he held a glaive, “and you, Monster, will stop right there!”

“I am not a monster,” D said, wondering if he was the “weird Mercenary Inc guy” the King mentioned, and quizzed himself why this man would attack him if he could see that the Dragon was travelling AWAY from the kingdom.

“Ah, a trickster monster!” Reuben said triumphantly, gripping his spear ever so tightly. “This will be a fun fight. En garde!”

“That is for swordplay, not spears!” D yelled as he sprung back to dodge a strike from the ignorant man’s spear.

“Trying to confuse me with your words, monster?” Reuben jeered, who was getting on D’s nerves by this point. “ _Worta_!” D suddenly found himself encased in ice save for his head and Heatblade. The spearman, taking this opportunity, muttered “ _Lijen_ ”, coating himself in a screen of magical light, and to D’s horror, patched up the small scratches which he got from jumping down from the tree.

“Now you will soon see the wrath of the mighty white knight!” Reuben said as he walked toward the Dragon. D had other ideas, though, as he calmed down enough to devise a plan as the ice cooled his mind. D threw the sword into the air with a flick of his hands, and let the blade come into contact with his knuckles, integrating the blade’s power into his scales as it slid inside him. Then, as Reuben watched in surprise, D focused his powers around him, and let the heat of his sword course through his entire body, shattering the icy prison. The spearman rushed to cast the freezing spell one more time, but D was ready. He had concentrated enough power in him to open the rift of power at a moment’s notice. D breathed in heavily, and shouted at the man with all his might.

“GO AWAY!!!” The Dragon’s roar sent Reuben flying through the air and into the lake. He landed in the shallow parts luckily, but he was still considerably wet as he rose from the lake.

“You’re really good, monster.” Reuben said, shaking water out of his hair. “Where did you learn how to fight?”

“I am not a monster,” D sighed. “I need to hurry! My friend is in danger.”

“Hmm,” the man contemplated this new information for a moment. “Tell me about this friend.”

D looked up to the man, surprised, but guessed he may have wanted to help out. “Well,” he started, “she got kidnapped by this evil witch. I need to rescue her!”

“Is she hot?” Reuben said, glimmer deep in his eyes.

“W-what?!” D stammered, and Reuben found the Dragon’s scale turn a shade darker. “Please, I have no time for this!”

“Well, a damsel in distress requires the sophistication of a gentleman like myself!” Reuben said, proudly and surely. “I shall accompany you on your quest.”

“Wait, I do not need…” D managed to say but thought for a moment. Even if he had Mari and Kaz with him, he would still be one person short. That, combined with the fact that he still had a long trek before him, made D slump his shoulders over the unwilling joining of the spearman in his group. “Okay, but as long as you do not interfere with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Battles are the bestest. Tip; Reuben casts Regen, so you have to take him out quickly. Charge moves like Dragon’s Roar works really well.


	27. Rejoining With Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D meets up with his friends, and Kaz gets himself something nice.

**Green Pass, slightly more East of Crystalia**

The two men reached a lush valley, nestled between a river and the cliffs of a plateau. As D was wondering if he would ever be able to see his friends again, he came across two familiar figures- the orange one sitting on a rock, the purple one leaning on the trunk of a nearby tree.

“Mari! Kaz!” D nearly yelled in happiness.

“There you are,” Kaz said, his tone indifferent as usual. “I was afraid you would never arrive.”

“Took you long enough,” Mari said as she playfully poked on D’s cheeks. “We heard Lina was in trouble, so we came here on our own. I told Kaz that letting you wander around by yourself was a bad idea though, so here we are!” Mari was happy to see that D was a bit frustrated that even she was aware of the Dragon’s lack of directional senses. All that went out the window then Reuben intervened.

“Ah mademoiselle,” the spearman took Mari’s hands into his own, “there is a Demon behind you! I will protect you from dangereux. Follow me!” The man tried to take Mari away to who knows where.

“Hehe, you talk funny!” Mari politely brushed away the man’s large hands. “It’s okay, he’s a friend of mine. He’s really nice!”

“What’s a cute little thing like you doing,” Reuben eyed the Demon Prince with a hard stare, “hanging out with monsters like them?”

“Back. Off.” Kaz growled as he cast a protective hand between the gunslinger and the “white knight”. “Dragon, who is this?”

“No idea,” D shrugged. “But that does not change the fact that we have to hurry.”

“Agreed,” Kaz nodded. “Just try to stop that man when he tries to get his hands on Mari again.”

“Protective monster, are you?” Reuben mused as D held his comrade tight on his cape, coaxing him not to throttle the guy.

 

“Oh Mari?” Reuben said, holding up a small blue gem. He had stolen the stone from a two-headed serpentine bird that appeared before the team along with a half-bird woman, a purple bulb-like flower and a giant beast with brown fur. “A gift from me to you.”

“Oh, that’s a topaz!” Mari took the topaz gingerly in her hands. They were in a safe area of the Green Pass, hidden from view, and D had found a lone locked box there. He had the Hackpick with him (Lina had left it with him before leaving), and was currently working on unlocking it. “Thank you, Mr. Reuben!”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Reuben said, sheepish but with intentions. “But if you wanted to thank me, you can just kiss me on the cheek…” He trailed off as Mari ran over to the other two men.

“Look,” Mari said as she held up the gemstone along with several other things; five small bottles of black smoke whirling inside the glass, two jars of golden oil, a pure white feather shimmering in the sunlight, and several pieces of metal. “I know you haven’t powered up your weapons, Kaz, so I thought I’d get a new one for you!”

“Oh, you have not strengthened your scythes yet?” D looked up at the commotion, now finished unlocking the box. In his hands was a solitary sword shaped like the wings of an albatross, crackling with energy.

“I have felt that I needed to empower them, but I couldn’t get my hands on the matter due to me being worried that I may have to change my incantations to match the weapon.” Kaz nodded grimly.

“I’ll make it so that you don’t have to do that,” Mari grinned. “Don’t worry too much, okay?”

“Wait,” the two said in unison. “Make?”

Mari closed her eyes, focusing her power. Arcane energy circled around Mari in wisps as the ingredients spun in midair, lifted off by Mari’s power. The bottles opened, forming rings around the topaz. When Mari opened her eyes, revealing her eyes to be shining in pure magical energy, the ingredients all came together, and with a blinding flash, a scythe appeared and came to a rest in the girl’s hands.

“Here you go,” Mari said, smiling happily as she handed the newly forged scythe into Kaz’s hands. “There’s some other tricks I’ve put in there for fun, but you’ll have to find out what that is yourself.”

Kaz eyed his new weapon, inspecting it from all directions. His pupils contracted into gold slits, and the scythe shrunk into the usual necklace-like form. The only difference on this one was that right in the center of the wooden part, a small chain held the two ends together.

“Thank you,” Kaz bowed his head as Mari smiled smugly.

"So," D said, still amazed by his friend's generosity. "What will you name this?"

Kaz pondered for a moment before Reuben cut in. "First, you try to beat me up, and now, you're getting teary-eyed about a new weapon. You're as unpredictable as a hurricane, monster."

"Hurricane it is," Kaz said, slightly chuckling as he turned to meet the glaive wielder. "And to thank you for giving me the idea, you will be the first victim to this masterfully crafted beast of a weapon."

"Please do not." D sighed, but still very pleased by his friend's playful mood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My take on what the team had to do to make a weapon out of Alchemy. I don’t like Reuben much, but he’s fun to mess around with. He’s so slow, though.


	28. Cat on the Cliff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team meets up with a familiar feline.

**Cliffside, after passing through Mountain Cave**

The four exited the cavern and, to everybody’s surprise, found that they stood higher than the clouds.

“So this is how the plateau looks like from above?” Kaz mused. “I never expected to be so high up.”

“Yes,” D agreed. “The clouds are so thick, I think it can hold my weight.” With that, D stepped out the safety of the ground. Before anyone could stop what was supposed to happen, D fell through the cloud with a yell.

“Oh no,” Mari cried, “we can’t lose two of our friends at the same time! Not like this!”

“He will be missed,” Reuben said solemnly.

“Please do not kill me,” came the Dragon’s familiar voice. Mari looked below the cliff, frozen for a short while, and jumped back at what was approaching her altitude from below.

D was flying, a magic circle glowing on his back, leathery red wings protruding from it and flapping, all four of his limbs (along with his tail) dangled limply beside him as the wings slowly took him back onto the plateau. “I can access my true form for a short while like this,” he explained as he softly landed before Mari. “But only parts of it, like when I roar.”

“…You never cease to surprise us,” Kaz sighed, but internally very happy that his friend was alive and well. “But please try not to scare us to death like so.”

“I will try,” D laughed.

 

“ _Bullizardo_ ,” Reuben said as he jutted out a hand toward the group of enemies, comprised mainly of avian creatures with some yellow scorpions. A cold wind swept over them, encasing some of their wings to frost over but not hindering their movements.

“Mr. Reuben, I can take it from here!” Mari rushed in front of the spearman. “ _Bullizardo_!” Instead of simply making it a tad too cold for the enemies, the spell actually encased all of the beasts in ice, freezing them solid as she readied another spell.

“How’d you do that, little girl?!” Reuben breathed in surprise as Mari smiled in response before shooting lightning at each enemy to end them.

“I can only say that she is more adept at magic than you,” Kaz said coolly as he worked together with D to eviscerate a Giant Worm.

D laughed, and headed forward to the direction of the far-off spike in the distance- the Wind Tower was already in their sight. Also in their sight was a familiar feline shadow.

“Finally,” Bop said with relish, “Peace and quiet… And no water in sight.”

“Ah!” Mari pointed to the cat. “It’s him again!” Although the team had no problems with the amount of their current funds, Mari was still angry of Bop for disgracing her honor as junior sheriff back at the Small Bridge.

“Cat thing,” D said, forgetting the monster’s name for a moment. “Where is Lina?!”

“Ugh, great.” Bop sighed. “Just what I needed.” He straightened his posture out. “You can’t have the princess. She’s ours now.”

“But,” D said, faltering. “You have gotten the wrong one!”

“Hey, the boss did that job, not me.” Bop retorted, his feline eyes gleaming under the helm. “If you have any complaints, take it to the top, will you?”

“tch…” Kaz clicked his tongue, clearly displeased at the lack of modesty in the cat’s voice. He had already gotten enough of distasteful subordinates back in his days of rule, and he didn’t want any more of that now. “Pathetic minion… Stand aside!”

“I would love to,” the cat said as he unsheathed his claws from his paw, “but I really, really love my job.”

“You just can’t get another one, huh?” Reuben sighed as he took his spear into his hands.

Bop lunged for the spearman’s throat, claws gleaming in the sun, But was expertly blocked by Kaz’s scythe. Frustrated, the feline cast “ _Faia_!” toward the Dragon, but that too was blocked by Mari’s cry of “ _Spia_!”

“Reuben,” D started toward the spear wielder, “I have a plan. Keep the cat occupied,” he turned to Kaz as he said that. “Kaz will help you.” The Demon simply nodded as he cast a flurry of protective enchantments to the spearman.

“Well, as long as you youngsters don’t take too long,” Reuben shrugged as he set out to the cat, bashing him rapidly in quick succession. The other three simply focused their power as the feline flinched. Mari opened her eyes first.

“Come on, hit something!” She said at the top of her lungs, as she formed dual pistols with her bare hands. Magical circles appeared on both of her fingers, and shot intangible bullets, all shining in four colors as they flew to meet their targets- fiery red, golden yellow, earthy green and aquatic blue. All met their marks on Bop, but he recovered quickly, very annoyed at the girl for beating him up twice. He lunged at her, but bounced off a wall of some sorts. Kaz had his hand outstretched, a magical seal forming in his palms, and as Bop realized he was trapped in a magical cube, smiled evilly.

“I believe this is suitable since we are heading over to the Wind Crystal,” he said, and broke the seal by closing his hand. The box was now suddenly filled with storm clouds, thunder booming out and lightning streaking the edges of the storm as the Demon summoned the raging storm, large enough to destroy his target but confined so that it didn’t hurt his allies. When the clouds cleared, Bop was on his side, his helmet apparently torn off by the violent magical tempest. As D came close to examine the monster, he rose, roaring in rage.

“I did not want to do this,” D apologized in advance as he leaped backward. He created a circular motion with his arms, a magic circle forming in the air. Bop pounced, ready to slice through the Dragon’s windpipes, when D put both hands around his mouth, and exhaled. When the breath touched the rift, though, it changed into a stream of fire, burning brightly as it licked through Bop’s fur. When the fire died down, leaving D gasping for air, there laid a charred figure on the ground before him.

“If you lads can do all that and more,” Reuben breathed, “then why in the name of crystals did you need me for?!”

“Did we say we needed you?” Kaz said as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

“Touche,” Reuben said, eyes on the cat. To everyone’s mild surprise, the feline stood, shaking the charred hair off his body.

“Grr,” he roared. “I guess I have no choice!” Bop exclaimed, taking out a fragmented clear gem. “Rita gave this to me just in case this were to happen,” he added before throwing the fragment into his gaping jaws.

“He’s…” Mari gasped, dumbfounded. “He’s swallowing that weird crystal!”

“We can see that,” D answered dryly, then stepped back as Bop started emitting a powerful, dark aura around him.

“HAHAHA! This feels great!” He laughed, his wounds completely healed. “I feel so powerful now!”

“tch… Do we have to fight him again?!” Kaz said disdainfully, renewing his grip on his Hurricane, when a black figure landed nimbly between the cat and the Dragon.

“Let me handle it!” The figure seemed to be female, with balanced proportions, covered in tight-fitting black clothes. Before D could ask who she was, she urged the team onwards. “You need to hurry! I can take this one!”

“…All right,” D nodded. “We owe you one.”

“OH NO, YOU DON’T!” Bop yelled after them, face contorted in rage. “YOU CAN’T GET AWAY!”

D distinctly heard the woman say, “Over here, you stupid cat!” before he got far away from the scene, Bop’s screams of anguish echoing after them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The flying part is there because there might be a Bullet Hell minigame or a whole game around it in the future. Maybe. Three Charge Attacks in one chapter, because why not? The chapter came out longer than I expected. Also, I’m sorry if I’m not admiring the Start Agility on D enough. It’s chaotic enough without it.


	29. Fight For a Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four reach Wind Tower and face against the evil witch Rita.

**Wind Tower, after crossing Highlands**

“So this is Wind Tower,” D breathed as he looked up. “The one that the Princess talked to me about.”

“Wowies…” Mari looked up, putting on her hat to shield away the sun in her eyes. “It looks really tall from the outside…”

Kaz had a hand under his chin, as if he was thinking deeply about something. He finally rested his hand to his side and spoke, “Any which way I calculate it, we might have to climb a lot of stairs.”

“Well, if that is a problem, I will carry you all.” D said, tapping on the now dormant Start Agility feather. “Do not worry, I believe I am powerful enough to do that.”

“I hope not,” Kaz said bitterly, but was caught off guard as Reuben wobbled beside him in mock weakness.

“Hey, Mari…” The spearman said, sounding older than he actually was, “won’t you help an old man like me up those pesky stairs?”

“You are still here?” D sighed alongside his demonic ally.

“I don’t think I can, ‘cause… you know, height and all,” Mari stammered. “But D can help you, if you want!”

“…No,” Reuben straightened up, “that’s not necessary.” With that, he sped away into the tower. Mari shrugged her shoulders in confusion (and earning her a soft chuckle from Kaz), and followed him inside the seven-story tower.

 

The four came to a stop as they were facing a figure in the topmost floor of the tower. The room was hexagonal in shape, and at the center was a pedestal, on it which the golden yellow Crystal of Wind rested. From the laughter emitted by the robed figure, D figured that this one too was female.

“Ah,” the figure spoke to no one in particular, “I’m such an evil mastermind, I really amuse myself!” The woman’s mouse-gray hair bounded as she held her hand to her face, cackling. D felt strong magical energy flowing around her, and that fact, combined with the woman calling herself “evil”, D was successful on drawing out her name from the depths of his mind, despite that he had never seen this lady before.

“Witch Rita!” D shouted across the room.

“What?!” Rita turned, her black and purple robe swinging to meet her movements. “A Dragon? Where is Bop? I told him I am not to be disturbed!”

“Oh, that mean kitty?” Mari met the witch’s eyes defiantly. “We beat him up, twice!”

“Stop what you are doing!” D said. “Release Lina at once!”

“Lina?” Rita looked puzzled for a moment. “Lina who? …Oh, you mean the Princess!” She cackled for a bit, and D had to agree it did sound evil. “I’m sorry, I will require her services for a while longer.”

“But you got the wrong girl!” Mari spoke out, fuming as she did so. “She’s not a princess! She’s our friend!”

“Hmp, how dare you!” The witch puffed out her cheeks in mock anger. “I never make mistakes! Just happy little accidents.”

“I can’t believe I got overthrown by someone this stupid,” Kaz grumbled as he stepped up to meet the witch’s challenging eyes.

“Oh, if it isn’t the incompetent prince,” Rita smiled as he approached her, his expression bitter. “What are you doing here?” Her expression remained nonchalant as the Demon pressed the edge of his scythe to her neck, enough to keep her from moving.

“Making sure your reign ends,” Kaz said with a grimace on his lips, “just like what you did to me.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Rita suddenly blurred out of the team’s sight, teleporting to the opposite end of the scythe. “I’ve got a lot on my schedule… First, destroy the Crystal. Then, it’s off with the Princess’ head.”

“I’m sorry, Rita,” Reuben said softly, taking the challenge. “But I cannot let you do that!” With that, Reuben actually threw his pike toward the witch. Rita teleported again to dodge it, blurring out of sight as she did, but she did not expect the spear to return to Reuben’s hands on the same trajectory via magic. The blunt end hit her square on the back, causing her to grumble in displeasure.

“It’s not over yet,” Mari cried as she fired a stronger version of the Earth spell into the witch. “Kaz, go for it!”

“Understood,” the Demon said as he turned the lower half of the scythe’s handle. It gave way with a click, and the simple scythe was now halved, the length between the two pieces now a whip created from chains. He spun the scythe around, the whip widening its area of destruction. It managed to hit Rita on the back of her head, the concussion knocking her out for a short amount of time. The safety didn’t last long, though, as she stood up and raised both her hands to the heavens.

“ _S’ra no Ikari, tehn Batsu, kammi no Ikazuti_ …” Kaz understood what Rita was attempting to do by this point, and shouted out “ _Spia Oul_!” before the witch finished her incantation, creating a wide barrier before the entire team’s eyes.

“ _Sutoomu_!!” The lightning conjured by Rita was strong enough to pierce the Demon’s barrier, knocking down everyone behind it in one fell swoop.

“You could’ve helped,” Kaz said, groaning, as the team tried to recover from the impact that the bolt brought. “I know you have the same spell on you.”

“Hey, my weapon doesn’t raise speed unlike yours,” Mari countered before casting “ _H’Iru Oul_ ” on the party.

“Fair enough,” Kaz muttered, readying his scythe, but a hand protruded before his eyes, signaling him to stop. “Dragon, what are you doing?!”

D silently pointed to his headband accessory in reply, now glowing stronger than ever.

“Very well,” the prince nodded in agreement, “I will leave it to your hands.”

With his agility empowered, D was nothing but a blur to any onlookers. He first approached the witch, then quickly changed his path so he circled around the woman with breakneck speed. To Rita, it looked as the Dragon had multiplied in his numbers, and was also aware that he was kicking up quite the tornado.

“F- _Faiawol_ ,” Rita stammered, but the flames were either dodged by the Dragon’s nimble feet or was extinguished by the strong wind. Just as the wind picked up enough power, D rushed into the witch, then jumped with his sword gripped tightly in his hands. The wind, powerful from D’s efforts, spun him around as he leapt midair so that his blade followed a spiral path going up. When the wind died down, Rita was barely standing, her cape in rags, while D stood before her, breathless, and holding his sword’s tip to her throat in a menacing manner.

“Fools!” Rita managed to croak as she kicked back away from the Dragon’s sword. “No matter… I bought enough time! The portal will be opened soon!” With a small puff of smoke, the evil witch disappeared before the team’s eyes.

“Whoa!” Mari exclaimed, surprised of the sudden disappearance. “How’d she vanish like that?!”

“tch… I should have known,” Kaz clicked his tongue in annoyance. “It was an illusion.”

“But I was able to touch it?” D wondered aloud as Reuben walked up to the pedestal, and called out to the team that there was a concealed wire that held the blonde girl, hidden there by magic.

“…Ugh, what happened?” Lina shook her head, confused and her head throbbing, but quickly regained her composure as she was greeted by three familiar faces running towards her.

“Lina!” The thief was hugged by Mari, who literally tackled into Lina as she woke up. Behind her and the pedestal, two more figures showed up- one wielding a slender sword, the other holding a hammer too large for her height.

“Ah! Thanks for distracting the witch, lads!” Tristam said, happiness filling his experience-ridden face. “Guess she couldn’t handle being in two places at once.”

“WOOOOO!” Phoebe yelled out her usual whoop in celebration. “SHE WENT DOWN HARD!”

“Tristam? Phoebe, too?!” D gaped at the two mercenaries. “And what do you mean, two places?”

“We just fought the real Rita on the other side,” Tristam scratched his head, his beard slightly sliding out of place. “You fellows bought enough time and held her attention long enough for us to beat her. Rita escaped again…” He sobered, his expression now serious. “…But the Crystal is safe now.”

“I…” Lina tried to speak, her voice warbling with tears. “I don’t know what to say… Thank you, everyone, for helping me like this… I’m sorry…” Lina couldn’t hold back her tears any longer as she burst into fresh ones.

“There, there,” D (with slight embarrassment) embraced Lina, letting her forehead rest on his shoulder, while patting her soothingly on the back. “I am just glad you are all right, Lina.”

“I’m so thankful to have so many friends…” Lina broke away from her friend’s comforting hug, rubbing her eyes as she tried to smile towards her other comrades. They were all shocked, though, when they saw a shadow moving towards them.

“Dragon,” the shadow bowed.

“Oh, you are that ninja thing from earlier.” D tried to find the correct words to describe the woman that had helped them before. She looked at D with a slight hint of disdain before turning her mind on the subject.

“I… believe the Wind Guardian wants you to have this,” she said, handing D a golden yellow crystal, and looking closer, actually was enveloped in a golden cloud regardless of location. By holding on to the Crystal, D felt energetic so that he could run faster than the wind even without his enchanted accessory. He took a look at the pedestal, and found it to be empty. This Crystal was the real deal.

“Wait, who are…” D tried to ask after her, but the shadowy woman had already disappeared into the darkness.

“Well, we only have one more crystal to go, right?” Lina rubbed the last of her tears away. “I’m back now to help, okay?”

“Good,” Kaz growled. “Now we can finally get rid of…” He trailed off, noticing that the spearman had vanished along with the shadowy woman.

“Hey, where’d he go?” Mari reflected Kaz’s thoughts.

“We had someone help us get here,” D said as he sensed the confusion in his friend’s face. “He said he wanted to help you, but I guess he is gone now.”

“Well now,” Tristam talked happily, as D noticed his beard had rightened itself of its position, “let’s go back to Crystalia. I can help you reach the last Crystal there.”

It was then that D noticed there was a small, halved note stuck to the Crystal with a tape. He gingerly opened it, and silently read; “Thank you for saving my sister”. There was something nagging at D at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t put a finger on it as he tucked the note inside his bag and followed the rest of the team out and back to the kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE SHIP HAS SAILED. Makes up for how long this chapter became, I guess. Nunchaku scythes for the win. As always, Rita’s Storm spell is in Japanese. Roughly translated, it says, “Anger of the skies, celestial wrath, lightning of the God”. So basically, she went Zeus on the poor guys. Game tip; she’s immune to Silence, so don’t you even try to shut that woman up.


	30. Back in the Kingdom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team decide on some things and Lina meets up with her sister.

**Crystalia**

“So you have collected three Crystals thus far?” Tristam asked the Dragon, now back inside the town, with a wide map of the land stretched before the team over a round tavern table.

“Yes,” D nodded. “We now have the Fire, Earth and the Wind Crystals.”

“Then Rita must have headed north,” Tristam pointed to the map closest to where D stood. “That’s the only logical explanation… Head to the town of Warm Yeti; you might get more information about the last Crystal there.” He tapped on a house marking where the map showed mostly white.

“Thank you, Old Tristam. We will travel North right away.” D nodded solemnly then started to head outside the tavern.

“Not on my watch, Dragon,” Kaz grabbed his friend by the scruff of his hood, effectively stopping him in his tracks. “Lina has suffered enough for a day. We will rest for today and start heading North first thing tomorrow morning. Do I make myself clear?”

“Oh,” D said as he was dropped out of his ally’s grip. “I guess we can do that.”

“You worry too much, Kaz!” Lina smiled cheerfully. “I can move around! We can head North whenever!”

“But Lina,” Mari interrupted Lina. “We’re a bit short on potions and stuff. I also want to work with your weapon, since you didn’t fight much.”

“Oh, okay.” Lina shrugged her shoulders. “You can have my Kris for a while. I want to meet someone first.”

“Try not to get kidnapped again, alright?” Mari asked tentatively, earning her a laugh from the thief.

Lina noticed the Demon’s hard glare and added, “I’ll come back here as fast as I can, don’t worry too much or you’ll go bald.” She sped off out of the tavern, hearing the general laughter that echoed throughout the building as she ran.

 

“Hey there…”

“I thought I told you to come into the castle from the entrance, Lina. You do know this is the third floor?”

“I know. It’s more fun getting in this way, you know?”

“Hmph, I should have guessed… I think you had something to say to me?”

“Yeah, actually… Just wanted to say I owe you one.”

“Is that all you can say? Shoo… go and have your little fun now, and come back when you have something more interesting to say.”

“Hehe… Thanks Nina, you’re the best! Well, I’m off now. The world isn’t gonna save itself, you know!”

“Oh, Lina? About your friend.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“The Dragon is… handsome, to say the least. Take him if you don’t want me to swoon over him first.”

“Wha-what?! He’s not my boyfriend or anything, thank you very much!”

“Heh. I figured as much. Your face is blushing.”

“Oh come on, Nina! Stop messing around with me like that!”

“Shh, be quiet! Else the guards will come and take you instead of the witch.”

“Oops. Yeah, sorry.”

“Well then. Give my regards to the Dragon, Lamina.”

“Sure thing, Namina.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaz is just so… Housewife. (Cleaved by Hurricane) It’s just speculation among fans that Lina and Princess Namina are sisters, but I took it a step further and gave Lina her royal name- Lamina Highwinds Crystalia. Arguments are open. The ship is so cute.


	31. Defending Against Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team starts heading toward North, and find themselves in a Defense Minigame of all things.

**Great Plains, just North of Crystalia**

“A good night’s sleep never fails to get you going,” Lina stretched as she saw the vast field out before her. At her waist was her trusty Kris, but it had grown a lot sharper, thanks to Mari’s continued efforts to power her up while she missed in action.

“Tristam said to head North, right?” D asked his companion while he held the map of the continent in his hands. “Since Crystalia is over there, I think North is this way.”

“Hey, D?” Mari tugged on the sleeve of the Dragon’s robe, “Why do you get lost when you have a great map like that?”

Without a sound, Kaz walked over to the two, looked at the map in D’s hands, sighed, and turned it upside down.

“Oh,” D looked at the now correctly positioned map with renewed embarrassment, “that explains a lot.”

 

“Hey, there is Tristam!” D pointed, and walked over to the bearded man. “Old Tristam, what are you doing here?”

“Oh hey!” The man said with a smile. “Why are you here?”

“Eh?!” D cocked his head, shocked. “What do you mean? We were just going to…”

“Well, lots of monsters are coming in from the North lately,” Tristam explained, not lending an ear to D’s confusion. “Crystalia just contacted us to dispatch them! Pretty cool, huh?”

“I guess,” The Dragon mumbled, scratching his head as he guessed that the bearded man forgot everything else while he was on a job. “What do you do?”

“We just mostly kill of monsters,” Tristam’s eyes shined with laughter. “Wanna join us?”

“Well…” D stammered, looking back at his friends behind him. Lina just smiled. Mari looked worried. Kaz shook his head horizontally, a bitter expression on his face. “I think we should be going now, Tristam…” D managed to get the cues of his allies correct as he said so.

“Come on, it’s easy!” The man said as he rounded up the four, pushing them into the battlefield. “Besides, there’s a wave approaching us now! Come here and help us save Crystalia, will you?”

There was already a few people there fighting off against a wave of monsters, of which included a boar with dark fur, a rocky golem, and…

“Is that the gargantuan monster from the Small Forest?” D breathed into Lina’s ear.

“It’s red,” Lina answered back, keeping an eye on the monster as she said so, “so it must be something different.”

“I just want you all to join for a while okay?” Tristam said, “Just one wave is all I want out of you.”

“Well,” D sighed, “I guess. Just one wave.”

“Good!” Tristam laughed happily. “’Cause the next one’s a boss wave!”

“Wait, what?!” The four exclaimed simultaneously.

 

“I can’t believe I got dragged into this,” Kaz muttered as he cast a series of protective enchantments to the mercenaries around him. One healer, a woman clad in white robes, thanked him and continued to cast healing magic onto the warriors who stood in the monsters’ way like a bulwark. “Dragon, I expect you to make up for this lost time.”

“I know,” D yelled back in response as he cut through a goblin. “Oh, and watch out.” Kaz quickly returned his gaze toward his front, and managed to swing his chained scythe just in time to knock out the onslaught of bandits, earning him a warm look from the healer he had helped before.

“I think this is sorta fun,” Mari smiled, gleefully wiping away all the monsters with her wide array of spells, the other mages looking at her in amazement. “Although, I wonder what the ‘Boss’ Tristam mentioned is?”

“Guess that one’s it,” Lina said as she threw a grenade at a particularly large, red-skinned bull. The beast didn’t even flinch at the explosion, and continued its advance slowly. “Okay, one bomb isn’t enough,” Lina said, slightly panicking at the situation as she eyed a fresh batch of monsters quickly following the largest one’s steps. “If we don’t wipe them out all at once, Crystalia’s in big trouble!”

“I got it,” Mari called out as the other mages around her shot fireballs and thunderbolts toward the gargantuan, “Can everybody stay back for a just a little bit?!” The others looked at the young gunslinger in surprise, but after seeing what she was capable of with her white-and-blue dual pistols, quickly followed her instructions and fell back. Mari raised her hands to her sides, her pistols now spinning in midair, as a large, yellow magic circle formed around her, along with a similar one that covered the entire battlefield. Mari opened her eyes, her eyes shining emerald green from the magic she channeled through herself, and clapped her palms together.

“ _Kueik Tsu_!!”

The resulting earthquake shot up columns of stone, piercing the enemies like a spear, while the ground below the boss’ feet cracked, sending the large beast falling into a fissure deep enough to reach the center of the universe before the whole ground shook itself back to normal, the entire grasslands returning to its original state with no sign that enemes ever crossed the boundaries.

“If that is Two,” Kaz breathed beside D, “then I’m interested what Three may bring.”

“There’s more?!” D and Lina both gasped.

“Only for single target spells,” chuckled the prince as the gunslinger ran to them with a joyous expression on her face.

 

“Thanks to you,” Tristam nodded, “Crystalia is safe for now. Sorry to have hindered your quest.”

“No, it is all right.” D shook his head to deny that it was a hinderance. “We had fun.”

“But we do have to hurry, right?” Lina said, a bit worried of the time.

“No sweat.” D smiled, tapping on his feathered headband to awaken its enchantments outside battle. “Will everyone hold tight onto me? This will be a rough ride.”

Tristam only had a moment to watch as the three hung on to the Dragon’s body, then speed off into the distant snow-capped mountains, dust trailing behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Start Strength + Start Agility = The best ending so far in my opinion. I never liked the Mercenary Defense Minigames, so this is my rendition on the topic. Mari becomes epic here, and for good reasons… Her spells become quite powerful at this point in-game.


	32. Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four heroes find themselves in snow... And a reliable heat source.

**Snow, past Ice Cave, North of Crystalia**

“Whoa, we’re finally out of the cave!”  Lina exclaimed, her hands covering her eyes to shield the reflected beacon. “I think I’m gonna get snow blindness if this keeps up.”

The four was met with a large field of fluffy ice as they exited the frozen cave. The cave was beautiful, the ice and rocks forming a blue glittering cavern, but for D, who had never seen snow before, the snowfields were much more beautiful in its pristine white state, and became a bit sad that he had to step on the stuff.

“It’s so cold,” Mari shivered, her teeth chattering. “Why can’t everything be sunny?”

“…Fire would be nice…” Kaz said as he moved stiffly in the northern wind, presumably trying not to lose his body heat.

“Well…” Lina started, her snug gloves and socks doing little to shut out the cold. “There should be a town here somewhere…” She looked over to D, who looked as he had no problem in the terrain. “Hey, D… Aren’t you cold?”

“What is ‘cold’?” D asked, clearly puzzled why his friends were in such a bad shape. “I do not know what you are talking about.”

 D distinctly heard Mari mutter “Show-off” as they walked through the completely white snowscape.

“… At least it isn’t Dragon carrying us around like that through the plains,” Kaz chuckled, his breath puffs of white. “I would never have that happen to me again.”

“We have company.” D called out as several monsters shuffled their way. There was a goblin dressed in blue, a slime (also blue in color), a half-bird female with white feathers, a cat-like being with thick fur, and a sky blue two-headed wyvern. D readied his Heatblade at his side, its fiery amorphous shape now a bit more straight and toothed. With a yell, the Dragon lunged toward the horde of enemies and Cleaved with all his might. This one, though, became so powerful that it shook the ground, snow sent up in air, the Shockwave sending all the enemies sprawling.

“Well now,” Kaz mused, putting away his unused scythe, “you have grown stronger than ever. I fear that I may lose sparring with you.”

“Huh?” Mari looked near her draconic friend. For some reason, the area around him seemed to have a higher temperature, the snow melting around his exposed tail. “D, can I touch your tail for a teeny tiny bit, please?”

“Eh?” D was puzzled by his friend’s strange behavior. “I do not mind, but why?” Without hearing the question, Mari closed in on the ruby tail and put her hand just above it.

“It’s warm,” she reported, “like a campfire!”

“No way,” the thief ran over to D, testing the warmth herself. “…Now we know how to warm up out here,” Lina smiled, the heat finally getting to her face muscles.

“I hope you all will not hinder me from battle,” D sighed as he saw Kaz join the warmth too. “Besides, Mari has the Fire Wall spell. Does that not replace the need to crowd over my tail?”

“That one’s only temporary, and it’s too hot.” Mari explained. “This, on the other hand…”

“ _Glaquis_ ,” D cursed silently as the team moved onwards toward the town of Warm Yeti.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. D’s current equip= Heatblade v.3, Circlet, Start Agility, Start Strength. Lina’s equip= Kris v.3, Circlet, Dice, Monocle (not illustrated yet). Mari’s equip= Rune Shifter v.3, Circlet, Start Agility, Start Wisdom (all of them not illustrated). Kaz’s equip= Hurricane v.3, Circlet, Helm, Shield (same as Mari). God I want Full Armor.


	33. Warm Yeti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four reach the snowy town and a girl whose friend is in trouble.

**Warm Yeti**

Although they found warmth in D’s draconic tail, the three was shivering, cold to the bone, as they approached the town Tristam mentioned.

“Cold,” Mari managed to say through the chatter of her teeth.

“There!” Lina pointed, excitedly and hurriedly. “W-we can get inside the t-tavern to get warm…” D apologized to the barmaid and explained that they were from a bit south as they basked their hands in the fireplace warmth. They were quite comfortable as they heard commotion from the other side of the tavern.

“You have to help me, please! My friend’s in danger!” D looked up at the young girl’s voice. The girl was a tad shorter than Mari, with snow-white hair and purple cloths, her eyes a lovely shade of vermillion. A single red gemstone hung from her neck, held by necklace strings.

“Sorry kid,” a man answered, shrugging his shoulders. He must be another mercenary, D thought. “Those monsters in Ice Fort are getting really aggressive these days. It’s your friend’s fault for going to such a dangerous place, we can’t help you.”

The girl looked down, tears streaming her cheeks. D couldn’t help but feel pity for the girl, and felt that he wanted to say that he would help them, when the girl met D’s crystal eyes.

“You guys look like mercenaries,” the girl strained against the rising sobs. “I need your help!”

“What’s going on?” Lina asked, patting the girl on her head.

“My friend, Kaeli, went to Ice Fort to check out what was happening to the place,” the girl explained quickly, “and she hasn’t returned yet.”

“That mercenary man said that the monsters in Ice Fort was getting aggressive,” D said, head cocked slightly. “Did that not stop your friend?”

“She went there _because_ they were getting aggressive, Dragon.” Kaz tugged the hem of D’s hood with annoyance in his voice, choking him slightly for a split second.

“I think she’s in trouble,” the girl sniffled, “and nobody will help her, and I—“ Her hands were clenched now, and D could clearly see that the young girl was trying hard not to cry.

“Ohh, cheer up,” Mari placed a hand on the girl’s back reassuringly. “I’m sure she’s fine!”

“Hey Mari,” Lina snickered, eyes filled with amusement. “She sounds just like you!”

“Wha—No I don’t!” Mari fumed, but rendering D confused. Their voices certainly did not sound similar. “But we are going to help her, right?”

“The aggressive monsters sound awfully like Rita’s doing…” Lina said, her smile now sobered.

“The Ice Fort is East of here,” Kaz said as he scanned D’s map with his gold eyes. “If my hunch is right, it should be where the last Guardian- one of Water- may be.”

“One more reason to investigate the place,” D nodded, “and your hunch usually is correct. We will go there and search for her friend along the way.”

“It’s okay,” Mari said to the girl soothingly as she turned around from the conversation, “we’re gonna help your friend! Don’t worry!”

“Really?” The girl looked at the four with relief. “Thank you so much!”

 

The four, confirming the trek to Ice Fort would be cold as it was over the snowfields, decided to spend money on some cold-resistant gear. As they stepped out of the shop, Lina looked up at the cold sky, looking at nothing in particular.

“There’s something odd about that girl…”

“What is it, Lina?”

“Oh, nothing!” Lina shook her head, now aware of others around her, and pushed the thought aside. “Come on, even if she’s a friend to that girl, she’s gonna freeze if she’s left to defend herself against the snow for so long!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter is short. Nothing new, except a bit of story. I dunno how the Water Guardian would be described as appearance-wise, but I’ll try.


	34. Guardian of Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team get to Ice Fort and find two women in battle. They decide to join the fray.

**Ice Fort, after Icy Forest, East of Warm Yeti**

“That bridge was waaay too scary,” Mari shivered in her boots not from the cold but from fear. The team had reached Ice Fort, but they had to cross over a long and old rope-and-boards bridge stretched across a seemingly endless crevasse.

“tch,” Kaz clicked his tongue as to make him snap out of something. “It wasn’t that scary. How are we to encounter Dargons if we’re scared of a bridge?”

“Hm?” Lina looked up at the Demon’s face, her sneer widening. “I liked how you gripped the ropes so tightly, Kaz…”

“Only because you wouldn’t stop shaking it!” Kaz exclaimed, face reddening with embarrassment and pride.

“Well, we are finally inside.” D turned to face the depths of the fort, smile dancing on his lips at the revelation on the Prince’s unexpected weakness. “Be prepared for any signs of Rita.”

 

The team ventured through the Ice Fort, defeating the aggressive enemies mentioned by the mercenary man along the way. D wondered if some monsters were this aggressive from the start, like the watery Golem and the emotionless blue samurai, since they were not sentient. Some he could understand like the blue spiders, the boars, the werewolves and the minotaurs, but still. After several more waves of monsters and a box containing two batches of thin metal hunks that Lina grasped with glee, the four was met with quite a scene; a blue-haired woman, clad in a casual vest and skirt with a bow in hand, facing off against a dazed girl, this one wearing a blue jacket over a shirt and corset, hair dangling like tentacles under a black cap with a skull on it. Her feet were bare, showing off her amphibian flippers. A sword was slung at her waist, but she wasn’t using them at the moment.

“Who is that fighting over there?” D wondered aloud, but he realized the answer before Lina said “That must be the missing friend the girl was talking about”.

“Hmp,” the blue-haired woman- Kaeli- huffed, hands clutching her arm. “This is such a bother…”

“Are-are you alright?!” Mari hurried forward, seeing that the woman was hurt, with a healing magic twinkling in her palms.

Kaeli looked behind her and said after a short moment of silence, “Didn’t expect people to be here.”

“Are you fighting the Water Guardian?” Kaz looked at the amphibious girl, who was wandering around in small circles now. He also heard the girl mutter “brains”, but he didn’t give it much thought.

“Koras is not herself,” the woman sighed. “Rita… Rita did something. A Confusion spell.”

“There,” Mari said as she finished patching up Kaeli’s wounds. “You were bleeding badly, Miss Kaeli.”

“It looks like you guys are here for her.” The woman stood up, helped Mari stand in the process, and slung the bow she held behind her in one fluid motion. “I’m going to sit this one out and let you take care of it. Have fun.” With that, she walked away from the Water Guardian.

“Er,” D stammered, looking at the confused Guardian. “What are we supposed to do?”

“Snap her out of it.” The voice called out from behind.

“We’re on it!” Lina, having declared that, readied something unbelievable; she had magic circling around her, lifting up that metal hunk D had seen earlier. They had separated itself from the rope holding it, revealing that there was five thin things in each bundle. With a cry, Lina forced magic onto the Rockets, making them ignite and follow a trajectory straight to the Water Guardian.

“Bingo,” Lina sneered until the smoke cleared, showing that Koras was unscathed. Rather, she now showed bestial hostility at the four for hitting her.

“ _Frost Nova_ ,” she screeched, and the four suddenly felt a chill settle in their spines. They were not cold (thanks to the new gears Lina had suggested they buy), but they were still shivering and found themselves unable to move.

“Oh no you didn’t,” Lina got up, and shouted a new spell she had learnt. “ _Sokua Oul_!” The spell filled the floor in a golden haze, and let the team recover from their temporal slowdown.

“Thank you,” D shouted behind him and started for the Guardian, but went past her sliding; the spell Koras cast had frozen the whole room over.

“D, this way!” Mari yelled, countering Koras’s cries of “ _Worta_ ” with “ _Erth Surie_ ” of her own. She had created a platform out of her Earth spells above the ice.

“I have a better plan,” D called back to the gunslinger, then pivoted on the spot to face Kaz. “I need power ups, now!”

“A simple ‘please’ would’ve worked,” the Demon grumbled as he cast “ _Likia_ ”, enveloping the Dragon with a fiery glow.

“You’re not gonna do anything with your draconic abilities,” Lina warned him against the roar of the magic Koras cast. “Fire just won’t work on this girl!”

“Mine may not,” D ran to Lina’s side, his sword gleaming from the enchantment and the determined glow of D’s eyes, “but yours may.”

“What’s the plan?” Lina glanced around her, noticing everyone was here.

“Create a storm to propel me,” D answered, not taking his eyes off the Water Guardian as he did so, “I will use the ice to speed me up more.”

“Okay, but I’ll make sure to weaken it so you don’t get hurt!” Mari pocketed her pistols aside, and readied her magic, the runes dancing around her. Kaz simply nodded, and pushed his palm outward, the Hurricane magic in it.

“I…” Lina winced. “I can’t use anything like that.”

“That is okay,” D readied his blade. “You can attack her with me.”

“Got it,” Lina said before D gave a roar- a signal- and the magical tempest drove the two to a blur, ice skidding beneath their feet as they ran with the wind on their backs. The two slashed at Koras in unison, making the Guardian crumple to her feet from the shock, and at the same time, wiping the ice away from the floor.

“I think that is it,” D moaned, his body now very tired. The Guardian woke up, groaning and holding her head, as Kaeli re-entered the room. Koras snapped back to her senses and stood up quickly.

“AHH! I’m so sorry!” The amphibian girl bowed down apologetically. “Oh no, I couldn’t control my body!”

“It is great you are finally back,” D nodded. “That was a tough fight.”

“Kaeli, thank you!” Koras looked at the blue-haired woman. “If you hadn’t been there, Rita would’ve permanently controlled me.”

“So she got confused from trying to counter Rita’s possession?” Mari breathed to Kaz’s ears in a hushed whisper, earning her a nod from the tall man.

“Don’t mention it,” Kaeli said curtly.

“As for you, Mr. Dragon,” The Guardian faced the young Dragon, a blue Crystal in her hands. He held it in his hands, and felt a jolt as the cold energy swept over him, leaving his mind clear as the lake near Crystalia. “I am thankful to you and your courageous friends for freeing me in the nick of time.” Koras bowed, this time in gratitude.

“If Rita was controlling you,” Lina spoke up, “where is she now?”

“Rita fled shortly after Kaeli disrupted her,” Koras explained. “From what I can sense from the remnants of her magic, she is now heading towards the floating Aurora Island.”

“So all of this stuff of legend I’ve read about in those books weren’t fairytales…” Lina gasped, leading everyone’s eyes onto her. “Aurora is the hidden island floating in the sky covered in clouds,” Lina said hurriedly to D. “They say it’s the place where you can touch the sky.”

“If she’s doing horrible up there,” Mari shuddered, but not from the cold. “Does that mean she’s working with the Dargon things? “

“She has started channeling the portal to the world of Dargons located in the skies above,” Koras confirmed Mari’s fears. “It is not fully opened yet, but once it is… the Dargons will come flying out.”

“We have to stop that,” Kaz grunted, “otherwise all of our efforts will be in vain.”

“Head west until you reach the northernmost cliff,” Koras smiled toward D. “You will meet someone there that can take you to the island. Our fate depends on you and your friends, Mr. Dragon.”

“We will stop her,” D agreed. “Count on us.”

“I will go meet with the other Guardians to prepare,” Koras turned toward the escape magic circle. “I bid you guys good luck,” her hand went to her forehead in salute before she vanished from the others’ view.

“You know…” D nearly jumped- he didn’t feel Kaeli sneaking up to him. Maybe the cold dulled him of his senses? The blue-haired woman’s lips twitched, a sort of smile on her face. “you guys came just in time.”

“We would have gotten here later if it wasn’t for that little girl in town,” Mari smiled. “Thank her, not us!”

“A girl?” Kaeli looked surprised. “…May I ask how she looked like?”

“Snowy hair, purple clothes, about ye tall.” Mari gestured the traits one by one in front of Kaeli as her eyes filled with gratitude and amazement, as far as D could tell.

“Thanks,” Kaeli said shortly and walked away.

“I believe we should get going now, Dragon.” Kaz said, the others nodding in response, and headed northwest.

 

Kaeli stood on the snow-covered hill just on the outskirts of Warm Yeti. In front of her was a single tombstone. The words were worn from the continued blizzards in the area, but on there was a single red-gemmed necklace. Kaeli kneeled in front of the tomb and placed an amethyst-colored lily on the ground, the same color as her now deceased friend’s favorite clothes.

“Thank you…” She managed to whisper before tears started to flow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epic battle and drama at the end. Really liked that part in the game. Sokua Oul is Quicken All, actually. Very helpful but not needed for me since I owned several Start Agilities at that point. Forgot to put Debuff skill from her there, but the team didn’t buff much.


	35. Sledding Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four finds out the shortcut to the northernmost cliff is by sledding.

**Atop a large snowdrift North of Warm Yeti**

“Okay, we got this far,” Lina said as she peered over the large slope laid before the four adventurers. “Never heard we had to cross this kinda thing.”

“But the northernmost cliff should be directly West if we take this shortcut,” Mari interrupted with a glimmer in her emerald eyes. “Besides, I’ve always wanted to ride on a sled!”

“We do not have what you call a ‘sled’, I think.” D muttered before hearing a large ripping sound. The three turned to see that Kaz had just torn off a large bulk of bark from a dead tree, large enough for four to sit on.

“You were saying?” The thief grinned to the Dragon, who looked at the Demon bewildered.

“Due to my lineage, I was never allowed to do these things like the commoners did. I have to say, I myself is interested in this.” Kaz explained as he smoothed the face of the torn wood with his scythe. D could see the smile the man had on his face.

“I guess we go with this then?” D asked the girls, and was promptly answered with nods.

 

The hill of snow held firm against the weight of the makeshift sled and the team of four, letting them pick up speed.

“I feel something bad’s coming up,” Mari yelped against the roar of the wind around them. “I think it’s Rita’s magic in the air!”

“We have to hurry,” Lina answered, and tapped the edge of the sled. “ _Sokua_!” The Quickening spell cast on the piece of wood allowed it to speed the four up even faster. D could clearly feel his eyes being pushed now.

“Dragon! Up front!” Kaz yelled, making D’s eyes snap open. Because of their unnatural speed, the tree in front of them was approaching them in equal suddenness. D managed to react in time, unleashing his Heatblade from his scales and cutting down the tree into a harmless stub with a flick of his skilled hand.

“That’s one way to do it,” Lina smiled before gasping, “but I don’t think it’s gonna work on THAT!” The team was headed straight for a pack of large beasts with white fur. D had encountered those beasts before; they were strong enough to resist his blade.

“Hold on,” Mari called out before pushing her palms out against the wind in front of her, and the team knew what was going to be done. They held on tightly to the sled or their friends’ backs.

“ _Erth Surie_!” The team, along with the sled, was in the air now, the force of the large stone column jutting out from the slope taking them to the skies. They managed to evade the pack of the beasts, sure, but they landed with as little grace as a boulder. The four landed, one by one, into the bottom of the hill, their faces embedded into the hardened snow.

“Well, that was fun while it lasted,” Lina muttered as she got up, followed by others, groaning.

“Is everybody okay?” D asked the others, and saw them all nod before he was pummeled to the ground by something heavy on his back.

“I don’t think you’re in the state to say such a thing, Dragon.” Kaz sighed as he lifted off the sled from D’s back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never knew the minigame was a requirement, so short chapter. I really don’t think royalty people got to play with nature like commoners, but hey.  
> Also. Liki=power in JPN, Amu=armor (unoriginal), Maji=magic, Spi=spirit, Soku=speed in JPN. For reference.
> 
> July 7th EDIT  
> 100\. VIEWS. Holy... I don't even. Thank you to everyone who's helped me reach this big a view count!


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